Internal Combustion
by FoxPhile
Summary: CHAPTER 13 IS RATED M. The rest is T or below. Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple. Meanwhile, they have a case!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. If you haven't read that, you might want to go there first. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 _ **Author's Note: This will be mostly Walter & Paige, but will ****deal with Toby and Happy as well and pretty much** **involve the entire team. It will probably be several chapters, but I may not update as frequently as I did with my other recent stories. Real Life is getting really hectic, so please be patient with me.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _It is not time for mirth and laughter, the cold, gray dawn of the morning after. ~George Ade_

* * *

Paige slowly tip-toed down the stairs from the loft. It wasn't terribly early, but Walter was still sleeping. Although he assured her he was feeling much better, with little or no pain in his abused nose, she still wanted him to get as much sleep as possible. As soon as he woke up he would probably insist on catching up on the work he missed by two days spent chasing her to Tahoe. Walter may have finally admitted to loving her, but he was still Walter. Workaholic didn't begin to describe it.

"Well, well, Ms. Dineen! You certainly look fetching in that lacy little baby-doll number. I take it Mr. 197 successfully located you in time to avert any naughty-naughty with our favorite Navy Seal hunk?"

Paige nearly stumbled and grabbed the railing just in time to prevent tumbling down the remaining steps.

"Toby!" she hissed in an indignant whisper. "What the hell are you doing here and for God's sake, keep your voice down. Walter's still sleeping!"

"Oh-ho! Wore him out, did you?"

"Toby I swear if you don't keep quiet I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but trust me, you won't like me when I do it!"

She got to the bottom of the stairs and walked straight towards Toby, planted both hands on his chest and pushed him backwards into the office area from which she hoped their voices were less likely to carry upstairs. She recalled the comm system and quickly ran to her desk and flipped the switches to ensure the system was off. She turned around and marched back to where Toby was standing, arms folded and smirking.

"Seriously, Paige, you do look lovely in that. The bright red really sets off your complexion."

Paige looked down, suddenly realizing that she was wearing nothing but the practically see-through nightgown that was the first thing she grabbed out of her suitcase the night before. She had insisted Walter take one of his pain pills before bed and by the time she opened her suitcase, he was already snoring. She hadn't wanted to disturb him by turning on a bright light to find something more suitable. She wasn't sure why she even packed the flimsy thing. She'd had no intention of sleeping in it in the same room with Tim. She supposed that some part of her wanted to believe that she would somehow fall in love with the handsome agent – who was an incredibly nice guy, after all. But in the end he was not, and never would be Walter O'Brien. And he would never see Paige Dineen in a sexy negligee.

"It's even lovelier setting off that becoming blush. If I wasn't totally in love with Happy I'd be giving Walter a run for his money."

"Sssshhhh! Toby, I really don't need your needling right now. I haven't had any coffee yet and I just came down so I could make some in the kitchen down here and avoid making any noise that might wake Walter. I want him to get as much sleep as possible. He needs it to heal properly."

"Heal? Heal! My gosh, Paige, what did you do to the poor man?"

Paige sighed and gave Toby her best angry mom look, then whirled again and made her way to the kitchen area.

"All right, all right!" Toby conceded, walking up behind her and getting the coffee can down from the shelf. "I'll keep my comments PG rated, although I'm hoping Walter doesn't suffer too badly from that old 'don't kiss and tell' ethic. With my own love life in a state of implosion, I may need to live vicariously for a while." He got out a filter and began filling the basket while Paige rinsed out the pot and filled it with water. In a more subdued and serious tone, he continued. "Seriously, Paige, I am the de-facto doctor for this team. I should know whatever it is that Walter needs to heal from."

"His nose was almost broken. The swelling's gone down and last night he said it doesn't hurt anymore, but the doctor in Lake Tahoe said he should see his own doctor in the next day or two just to confirm there's no break. He said he didn't think it was broken, but you can't really tell until the swelling subsides."

"Oh, please don't tell me Mr. Speed Demon wrecked the company car!" Toby wailed.

Paige set the pot full of water down, worried that she might drop it. She was shaking. "No! Is that all you care about, Toby, the car?"

Toby dropped his voice down to the soothing register he used when dealing with distraught patients… or team members. "No, Paige. Of course not. My main concern is Walter, and of course, you. Obviously something happened in Tahoe, but since you began with the injury to his nose, and Walter apparently didn't spend the night in a hospital, his condition isn't likely to be too serious. You, however, appear to be a bit on edge. I'm sorry if anything I said contributed to that."

Paige took a breath and picked the pot back up, carefully pouring the water into the machine's reservoir. "It's okay. You were being… Toby. It's just that I haven't slept much at all the last two nights and I drove us home yesterday." She set the pot on the heating element, then pressed her fist into the counter while she leaned against it, turning slightly to face the man. "I think I woke every time Walter moved. Between worrying that he might need something and I'm just not used to sleeping with another person in the bed, I'm not at my best right now."

"Aha! So you _**did**_ sleep with our fearless leader!" Toby chided, but he smiled and rubbed her arm soothingly. Paige realized he was just trying to make her feel better by making the conversation more "normal". She had to admit that it would worry her if Toby _**didn't**_ tease her, especially when she realized she had just admitted to having spent the night in Walter's bed.

Toby fitted the filter basket into its compartment and turned the machine on. Paige quickly grabbed the cinnamon, pulled the basket back out and sprinkled a generous amount into the coffee. Toby grimaced and sighed.

"So while we wait for the coffee to brew, why don't you come over here and sit down and tell Uncle Toby everything that happened – or at least the G-rated version." He guided her towards the couch, where he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "There, that's better," he commented as she hugged the blanket around herself and sat down. "I wouldn't want Mr. Love Machine to come downstairs and find me alone with his girl dressed in nothing but a… well almost nothing. I might find _**myself**_ with a broken nose."

Paige's turned suddenly to look at him, her eyes widening as he sat down beside her. "I thought you had no idea what happened?" she asked.

"I don't," Toby replied. "What are you talking about? Did Walter get into a fight?"

"No, it wasn't a fight. It didn't last long enough to be a fight. Tim decked him."

Suddenly Toby was laughing uproariously. "Oh….My…God!" he exclaimed. "So Tim didn't care too much for Walter welching on his gift?"

"It wasn't that," Paige began.

"Do you two think you could talk a little louder? I'm not sure they can hear you across the street!"

The voice coming from behind them startled them and Paige jumped off the couch and nearly dropped her blanket.

Walter wandered over to stand in front of them. He raked a hand through his unruly curls as he looked down at his friend, then over at his girlfriend, who seemed to be wearing little more than a blanket.

* * *

May 30, 2016


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _To the scientist there is the joy in pursuing truth which nearly counteracts the depressing revelations of truth. ~H. P. Lovecraft_

* * *

Doctor Tobias M. Curtis looked up at his friend and gasped. He stood up to get a closer look at the damage. "Walt! What the hell happened to you? You look like the immovable object that met the irresistible force."

The genius returned his look, a shy smile on his face. "That's pretty close, Toby, thanks in large part to you." Walter reached out hesitantly and patted Toby's shoulder. "I'm fine, though. It looks a lot worse than it is."

"I'll be the judge of that," Toby insisted, gently prodding his friend's nose with the tips of his fingers. Despite Walter's scowl, he stood still and allowed the psychiatrist to probe, only wincing slightly when Toby pushed the still tender tissues from side to side. "Well, it appears you might be right, 197. Sorry if I made things worse with the examination, but that discomfort should pass quickly. I'm not feeling any crunching or movement that would indicate a break, and everything seems to be lined up properly, so I'm guessing you're pretty damn lucky considering the size of the irresistible force in question. Where is Tim, anyway? Did he come back with you guys? Can you say 'Awkward'?"

Paige wrapped the blanket more firmly around herself. "Tim's still in Tahoe. He stayed for the festival. I drove us home yesterday in Walter's car." She turned and started for the stairs, picking up her coffee on the way. "I'm going back upstairs to get dressed. I can give you more details when I get back. Don't expect much from Walter – he was asleep or on drugs for most of the trip."

While Paige made her way upstairs, Walter went to get a cup of coffee for himself, then came back and sank onto the couch. "I do remember… some of it."

"Considering that you apparently spent the night with the second most beautiful woman I know, I should hope you do!" Toby smirked as he sat down beside his friend. "And as your doctor, I need to hear all about it…every little detail."

"Actually," Walter admitted, "I barely remember going upstairs to bed last night. We watched a movie – some chick-flick," he grinned at his friend, "and we talked – a lot. I remember Paige whispering something about not sleeping with a guy on a first date and then we talked a bit more. She insisted I take a pill and the next thing I remember is hearing you yelling something about me welching on a gift."

"Never mind that, Walt. Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"What you told me just before you ran out of here, moron. Did you tell her you love her?"

"Oh, that. Yea. I told her. Repeatedly, in fact. Although I don't think she understood me the first few times."

"Why would she not understand you?"

Walter gently tapped his nose, wincing again.

"Oh. So apparently you ran into Tim… literally… before you had a chance to say anything. Was he pissed at you just for showing up? Is he that jealous?"

"No. If I remember correctly, he wasn't jealous at all. In fact, he was very apologetic about it. He just saw some guy running up to Paige in the hotel parking lot in the middle of the night and assumed the worst. Rightly, so, I have to admit. I don't fault him at all. But having a swollen, bleeding nose certainly didn't make it easy to get my point across."

While Walter sipped his coffee, Toby tried to imagine the events that he described. He knew from what Paige said that at some point, they'd gotten Walter to a doctor to have his nose looked after. Having been on the receiving end of a punch or two himself, he knew just how painful it could be. He imagined the combination of the swelling and bleeding meant that anything his friend tried to say would be badly garbled, probably unintelligible. He began to wonder if Paige actually did understand Walter at all. It was possible, of course, that Walter's resolve lasted long enough to repeat himself on the ride home, by which time he should have been able to speak more or less clearly again. But Toby knew Walter had wavered in the past. Just at the point of admitting his feelings he would pull back into his comfortable world of denial. Toby decided it was best not to press Walter about it. Far be it from Tobias Curtis, M.D. to give the man a possible out if he was having any second… or third or fourth… thoughts about pursuing Paige Dineen. If Walter thought Paige didn't actually know the reason for his mad dash to Tahoe, he might decide it was for the best to let it drop. Toby also knew that Paige was prone to allowing this particular fish to just jump off the hook. If any two people were meant to be together, in Toby's opinion - aside from himself and Happy - of course it was Walter O'Brien and Paige Dineen. He wanted to make sure that Walter couldn't back out of his decision. However, he needed to find out if Paige really did understand Walter's declaration. That first date comment Walter recalled was an interesting clue. The fact that the two would-be lovebirds did nothing but talk last evening could simply be the effects of Walter's injury. However, his pessimistic side, which had gotten a workout in the past two days, had to concede that it was possible Paige was only caring for Walter as a friend and colleague, and actually knew nothing about Walter's revelation.

Of course, Paige _**had**_ admitted to sleeping in the same bed last night. Toby's mind went down its own salacious rabbit hole at that thought. At least somebody on the Scorpion team might be getting lucky!

* * *

Paige spread a modest layer of cream cheese on her toasted bagel, glad that Toby volunteered to make a run to Kovelsky's when she discovered there was nothing remotely breakfast worthy in the garage. The three were eating in silence, the discussion of Walter's encounter with Tim and their subsequent return from Tahoe had waned, leaving another, more painful subject to address. Paige decided it was time someone tackled the three hundred pound gorilla.

"Toby," she began, "have you… have you talked to Happy at all?"

The behaviorist stopped in the middle of his bite of bagel, looked at Paige and slowly put his food back on his plate.

"I… tried calling her… tried texting her… I… don't think she wants to talk to me right now." He looked down a moment at his half-bitten meal, then continued. "Cabe called me yesterday afternoon to let me know he spoke with her and she seems okay. But she didn't tell him anything and he didn't want to ask. He did offer to go talk to her, but I think… I think she needs her space and as crazy as it's making me not to know what this marriage thing is all about, I figure it's best to give her some time." Toby pushed the bagel across the plate, getting a spot of cream cheese on his finger which he absently wiped off on his jeans.

"I'm so sorry, Toby," Paige said. "I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation for all this. I can't imagine Happy keeping this a secret unless there's a really good reason. She'll explain everything when she's ready."

"I don't know," Toby countered. "I know Happy, and if she's kept this a secret all this time, she has a really good reason. She's not going to be too quick about spilling it. Tomorrow morning, Happy will walk in here wanting us all to act like nothing happened. That's pretty much exactly what she did after the first time we kissed. But I'm just not sure I can go along with that this time."

"Well, you two are going to have to figure out how to work this out, for the good of Scorpion." Walter put in.

"WALTER!" Paige interjected, resisting the strong urge to slap him. "You can't say things like that!"

"What?" Walter protested. "It's a fact. Toby and Happy are both key members of this team. The team will not function at optimal efficiency if they are at odds with each other. They need to work it out. We can send them to Doctor Rizzuto if necessary. I'm sure the good doctor would enjoy meeting the woman Toby has been having congress with. We can e-mail him a photo so he can get a puppet ready."

"Walter," Paige whispered, not sure why Walter was being so insensitive. "Toby – your friend – is hurting right now. I know you still have a difficult time understanding emotions, but just think of how much your nose hurt yesterday. That's how much Toby's heart hurts right now. Try to have a little sympathy!"

"The heart…" Walter responded, keeping his own voice low, "… is still just a circulatory muscle. Just because I admit that I love you, it doesn't change that fact. Love doesn't originate in the heart, it originates as a combination of chemicals in the brain. I always thought I was immune to those chemicals. I realize now that isn't true. But that doesn't mean my facts about the heart are any less true than they've always been. Toby's heart cannot be hurting, he merely has a different batch of chemicals in his brain that are most likely causing sadness, disappointment and possibly self-doubt."

Toby glanced up suddenly while Walter was speaking. Paige was surprised when she turned to look at him, to see that a slight smile crossed his face. It seemed out of place, but she supposed he was just amused that Walter was still Walter. He may have had a personal emotional breakthrough – something she still wasn't quite sure she believed herself – but Walter's EQ was still not able to empathize with his friend. Paige shook her head and fiercely bit into her bagel. She was beginning to realize that life with Walter O'Brien would never be normal. Her thoughts lightened a bit as she pondered "life with Walter O'Brien" and she smiled herself. That was not a phrase she ever really expected to cross her thoughts. She smiled herself thinking that it was possible that "normal" was very overrated.

* * *

June 4, 2016


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 _Words of wisdom are spoken by children at least as often as scientists. ~James Newman_

* * *

Toby left shortly after breakfast. He'd taken a cab home from the garage on the night of his Tequila binge and had left his car keys and his beloved hat. Having spent Saturday recuperating, he came to the garage Sunday morning to collect them, not expecting to encounter Paige and Walter.

Paige mentioned that she needed to get home to Ralph herself, and relieve him of his duties, watching over Sylvester. Walter laughed at that and agreed that, more often than not, Ralph seemed to be the caretaker for his sitters, and not the other way around. He asked Paige to stay a few moments so they could discuss some things.

They went upstairs to the loft, since Paige needed to repack her small suitcase. Walter was standing beside his workbench, idling drumming his fingers or knuckling the table top. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was a discussion he'd never dreamed he would have and he didn't know how to start.

"If you're just going to stand there abusing your desk, do you think you could go into the bathroom and get my toothbrush and other things? I have a little case that all that stuff is in – it's on the back of the toilet seat, I think."

"Umm… maybe you should leave those things here… you know, in case you need to brush your teeth or something?"

Paige turned, her surprise at his suggestion clear even to Walter.

"Is that too soon?" he asked.

"Noooo," she responded. "I'm just a little surprised that… that you're comfortable enough to even ask."

"It's not… I'm not suggesting…"

Paige laughed. "It's okay. I'm not assuming either. I'm sure there's some reason why having my toiletries here is just more efficient."

"It is!" Walter sprang at the comment. "If we decide to… to go… out… in the evening. It would be more efficient for you to prepare here than to go all the way home first."

"Okay – so now I'm going to assume that means that at some point we'll be going out?" she asked, with just a hint of hopeful expectation in her voice.

"I um… we've frequently gone out for dinner at the end of the day. I don't see any reason why that should change."

Paige sighed. "No. No reason."

A silence fell between them. Paige zipped up her suitcase and set it down on the floor. "Well, I'm all ready then. I'll leave my little case in the bathroom. You can store it somewhere else, if you like. Just let me know where it is."

Walter looked at her for a moment. "Right! Let's go, then." He started for the stairs but stopped and pivoted around, causing Paige and her case to nearly collide with him.

"I was just wondering what we should tell people tomorrow," Walter asked. "Toby knows, of course, so any thoughts that we could keep our relationship quiet are impossible at this point."

"Would you really want to keep it a secret?" Paige wondered.

"Well, not a secret, no. But given the situation with Happy and Toby, I'm not sure making an announcement immediately would be the best course." Walter paused a moment. Paige could tell he had more on his mind, but wasn't sure how to express it. "I… I think I might have liked to spend some time… getting used to the idea myself," he grinned nervously. "But that's just not possible now, so… I think we should… tomorrow morning, take Sly and Happy aside when they get here and just… let them know."

"What about Cabe?"

"If Cabe comes in tomorrow, that means we'll have a case and we may not have time to discuss it right away. I'll find a moment to speak privately with him as soon as possible. Or if he doesn't come in, I'll give him a call. What about… what about Tim?"

"Tim knows. Plus he's going back to Seattle tomorrow for more evaluations. He won't be back until the end of the week."

"I see." Walter said, sounding relieved. "That only leaves…"

"Ralph" they both said, in unison.

Paige giggled and Walter smiled. "If it's all right," Walter began hesitantly, "I'd… I'd like to tell Ralph together. He's your son, of course, but…"

"Of course we can tell him together," Paige agreed. "Maybe I can bring him over early tomorrow, before school?"

"What if he asks about your trip?"

"Ugh. You're right" Paige admitted. "He'll ask. He was very… he acted a little odd when I told him I was going away with Tim. I could tell he wasn't happy about it. I just hope it doesn't bother him that I'm dating again. He's had me pretty much to himself ever since Drew left. I really thought he'd be okay with it, but now I'm not so sure."

"In that case… are you sure you want me with you when you tell him?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Paige nodded emphatically. "I don't think it's good to shield Ralph from emotions. He needs to understand that you're going to be an even bigger part of our lives now. It's best that he sees that right from the start." Walter looked dubious and Paige was quick to add, "Anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine with it. It's different with you… he likes you; he looks up to you. Tim was almost a stranger to him."

"Well, if you're sure it'll be okay."

"I'm sure," Paige affirmed. "Besides, it'll keep you from getting to work and I'm determined to keep you in relaxation mode for what's left of this weekend. C'mon, let's get going." Paige grabbed the keys to the car and tossed them to Walter. "I'll even let you drive the company car!" She grinned and headed down the stairs.

* * *

Paige turned the key in the lock and opened the door, Walter close behind her. "Ralph!" she called.

"Mom!" came the loud reply from the back room, followed quickly by a small figure dressed in aqua tights and trailing a bright yellow cape. "Sylvester and I were playing Super Fun Guy. Look at the cool costume he got for me!" The young boy skidded to a stop, his slick boots sliding a bit on the wooden floor. "Walter!" he exclaimed, noticing his friend standing in the doorway.

Sylvester came out of the back room, sporting his matching costume and cape. "I hope it's all right?" he queried. "We went to the comic book store yesterday and they had the exact same costume in Ralph's size. I couldn't resist!"

"It's fine, Sylvester," Paige answered, falling quickly into her 'mom' mode. "Just please tell me you haven't been playing the entire weekend. Ralph does have homework due tomorrow, you know."

"Oh… his homework's all done. I even checked it for him. Perfect, of course," Sylvester assured her.

"Good then. I can't thank you enough, Sly, for watching him. It was… well, it was a good weekend," Paige smiled and looked back at Walter. Then she turned and stepped up to hug the math genius. They both laughed when the rubber chicken on his belt squeaked.

"I should go back and change back into my regular clothes then, I guess." Sly paused a moment and made a super hero pose, brandishing a bright yellow plastic pistol. "Evil cannot run from my wicked squirt gun!" He declared, then turned and went into the back room.

Paige laughed at Sly's antics, then said "I'm thirsty. Can you get us some water, Walter?"

Walter nodded and went into the kitchen. Turning to Ralph, Paige ushered him to the couch and sat down. "Did you have a good time with Sly?"

"Yeah," Ralph began excitedly. "Yesterday we got on the bus and went to the comic store. They had the new edition of 'Super Fun Guy and the Poison Popsicle' and Sly got me this cool costume. Then we went to the Railroad Museum, but Sly wouldn't let me go on the train because he was afraid the steam engine might blow up and then you would blow up if I got hurt…"

* * *

"Wow!" Ralph exclaimed. "You really drove eight hours just to catch up to my mom, Walter?"

"Yes, I did," Walter confirmed. "I wanted to let her know…" Walter paused and allowed his hand to drift across the sofa so that his pinkie finger came into contact with Paige's hand. "I wanted to tell your mom that I want us to be… together. I wanted to tell her as soon as possible. Luckily for me, she wants to be with me, too."

"I guess that's what people call… romantic?" Ralph asked.

Paige grinned. "Yes, it was sort of romantic, Ralph."

"So does that mean you guys are going to be kissing all the time and Walter's going to say gushy things like Toby does?" Ralph made a face, and it was difficult for his mother to keep from laughing.

Paige turned to Walter, unable to suppress a silly smile. "Well, we haven't kissed yet, but I think… that is I hope that might happen soon, yes."

"Yuck!" Ralph declared.

Walter grinned, relieved that the boy seemed to be okay with the new situation, but he wanted to be sure. "So does that mean you're okay with this, Ralph, aside from the kissing part?"

"Sure, I guess. Does this mean you're gonna ask my mom to marry you, like Toby asked Happy?" Ralph turned to look at Paige. "Mom, you're not still married to my dad are you? I don't want Walter to get all sad when he asks you."

* * *

June 4, 2016


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection._

 _~Thomas Paine_

* * *

Walter drove back to the garage slowly, his mind filled with all the changes his life had taken in just the last two days. Paige asked him to stay and spend the day with her and Ralph. He was very tempted, but he felt he needed some time to analyze everything that was so different now. He passed the turn he would normally take to the garage, and opted to keep driving. If he went back to the garage he would bury himself in his work and avoid thinking about… things. Paige deserved more than that. He couldn't mess this up. He was determined _**not**_ to mess this up. If he expected to get this right, he needed to devote time to it, just as he did with his various projects – probably more so, since he was seriously out of his depth.

He was in a relationship. He had a girlfriend. At least he thought both of those statements were true. Paige said something the day before about things people do when they are in a relationship, and she also told him again that relationships are messy. Although neither of them actually said so, he assumed they were in a relationship now. Paige Dineen was his girlfriend. Which made him Paige's boyfriend. The terms sounded silly, even in his brain. But he had to admit, he rather liked the thought anyway. Walter wondered why no one came up with more mature terms. He thought some people used the term partner, but that sounded too much like a business arrangement. All that was just semantics. He had more important things to ponder.

Should he ask Paige out on a date? He didn't think Toby ever asked Happy on dates – with the exception of that one disastrous incident that nearly derailed Quintis before it began. There was another issue – Quintis! Would Toby insist on making a silly mixup of his and Paige's names? Would they become O'neen? Or maybe Din'ien? The second sounded in his mind too much like denying, and Walter O'Brien was finished with that.

Again, he was getting sidetracked by language. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to think of Toby as a role model for his actions, either.

A date would probably be a nice idea. They could arrange for someone to look after Ralph and go to a nice restaurant. Did Paige even _**like**_ going to nicer restaurants? He thought she might also like day outings where they took Ralph along. Megan always loved going to the beach, perhaps Paige would like that, too? It surprised him to realize how little he actually knew about her, when at the same time he felt he knew her better than he knew himself. He should make sure they spend some time alone together – away from work and away from Ralph. Paige obviously wanted him to kiss her, and he realized he wanted that, too. But apparently Ralph didn't like the idea, so they would have to do their kissing when Ralph wasn't around. Walter made a note to arrange a date for them for the following week, work permitting.

Walter recalled that for some reason, Ralph's assumption that he would be asking Paige to marry him had caused Paige serious distress. She apologized for the boy's comment, blushing so strongly Walter wondered if she might have a fever. He wasn't sure why she had such an issue with it. Was it perhaps because her marriage to Drew was such a failure that she was now totally opposed to marriage? He was certain she was divorced from Drew; it had been noted in the background check Cabe did when she officially joined Scorpion. So there was no possibility of a repeat of Toby's proposal fiasco.

Walter himself was indifferent to the idea and probably would never have thought about it except for Ralph. Having finally accepted his feelings for Paige, he couldn't imagine ever not feeling this way. As far as he was concerned, their relationship was already a permanent one. There were legal advantages to marriage that might make sense at some point. He'd gotten a swift introduction to those legal advantages when Sly and Megan married, giving Sly control over all of Megan's heath choice. He didn't see the point of popping a surprise proposal. It would be much better to discuss the pros and cons calmly and rationally. Perhaps in a few weeks, when they both had time to adjust to the change, he would discuss the topic with Paige, see what her feelings were. If it was too distasteful for her, that was fine. He didn't need to marry Paige to know he loved her.

Paige loved him, too. He didn't remember much about his time in the emergency room, but he was sure she said she was in love with him. He thought he remembered hearing her say it again as he was falling asleep in the hotel, but that memory was much foggier. He knew he told her many times, and repeated it, after a fashion, earlier that morning over breakfast. After all the turmoil he went through trying to avoid it, it didn't bother him at all now, to say it. It was a fact. He only wondered that it took him so long to realize it.

Driving through the streets on a Sunday afternoon, the genius wasn't paying much attention to where he was going. Pausing in his thoughts to determine his location, he realized he was driving along the beach. After a few more minutes, he turned into one of the big public parking areas and found a spot. He wasn't equipped for day at the beach, but he always kept sunscreen in his car. Maybe a walk would help him to focus.

* * *

Walter sat on the sand, near where he used to bring Megan, watching the waves. Just down the beach was the rock slide where he'd rescued the young boy, Owen. The boy was graduating from elementary school and sent Walter an invitation to the festivities. He hadn't really planned on going, but perhaps now, he would. He didn't think it counted as a real date, but maybe Paige might enjoy it.

"Megan," he found himself saying. "I did it. I fell in love. Sorry, but I have to admit I'm still scared to death about it, but I did it. I suspect you knew about this long before you died. You always did know me better than anyone."

He paused a moment and looked up in the sky, wondering how far his sister was. He could calculate it, of course, but something stopped him. It felt more… comforting… just to know she was up there somewhere. He didn't need to know exactly where.

Walter wondered at the fanciful turn his mind was taking. Megan – the person that his sister had been - was no more up in space than she was sitting beside him. He didn't believe that any part of a person continued to exist after they died, other than the shell of organic material; which in Megan's case had been turned to ash and was currently traveling through the solar system. Still, he felt somehow that she was nearby, and listening to him, as she so often had done.

"I know you liked Paige. She certainly liked you. I'm sorry I didn't… I couldn't keep you with us any longer. Right now I could really use your advice, big sis. You know this is something I don't know how to do and it's… it's the most important thing I'll ever do. I can't fail at this, Megan. I just can't."

Walter draped his arms across his raised knees and rested his chin on them, staring out at the ocean. A light breeze caught a lock of his hair and blew the curls across his eyes. Before he could move it aside, a cross breeze came and blew the curls back.

"Someday soon, Megan, I'm going to bring Paige here. We'll have a picnic or something. Maybe we'll just take a walk and talk. She's a lot like you that way, Megan. I can talk to Paige about anything. But you'll see… when we come. I'm happy, Megan. She makes me happy."

* * *

June 5, 2016


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be Revelation. ~Eileen Caddy_

* * *

When Paige arrived at the garage Monday morning, she was running late. She and Ralph were just heading out the door of their condo when Ralph recalled a note he needed signed for school. She'd spent some moments discussing with him the benefits of not waiting until the last minute. By the time they got underway, she got caught in traffic and decided she needed to take Ralph directly to school so he would not be late. Entering the dim interior of the garage, she saw Sylvester suddenly drop into his desk chair, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. Walter was perched on the corner of his own desk, seeming more relaxed than Paige might have expected.

"I take it you've let Sylvester in on our news?" she presumed.

"So it's true?" Sylvester followed Paige with his eyes as she made her way to her own desk and dropped her bags. "Does Ralph know?"

"Yes," Paige smiled at the human calculator. "We told Ralph last night. I… that is we… wanted to be sure Ralph found out from us and not from anyone else. Since Toby already knew, we had to tell Ralph last night." She paused, wondering if perhaps Sylvester might be upset that he wasn't included on the revelation the night before. "I hope you understand, Sly. I needed to share this with my son privately."

The big man appeared to relax a bit, shifting backwards in his seat and resting his hands, which had been gripping the edge of his desk. He nodded briskly. "Of course," he said, "But you said Toby knows, too? Who else have you told?"

"Well, unless Toby put the news up on a billboard…"

"Which I wouldn't put past him…" Walter interjected, causing Paige to toss him her "this isn't funny" look.

* * *

After Walter left the previous day, Paige recalled, Ralph spent the afternoon recounting more of his adventures with Sylvester. Paige assumed that meant he was accepting the new situation. They ate dinner, after which Paige got to work on her household finances and Ralph sat down to enjoy his allotted hour of video game play. It was then that the questions began.

"Will we move into the garage or will Walter move in here with us?"

"I don't think I want to work with girls when I grow up. Working girls all want boyfriends and they like kissing!"

"When Stan's mom married his step-dad, he got adopted and they changed his name. Will I become Ralph O'Brien? 'Cause that would be cool."

"Can we call my dad – I mean my other dad? I wanna tell him Walter's going to be part of our family for real."

Paige didn't manage to pay a single bill all evening.

* * *

Scorpion's liaison was thankful they didn't have to repeat the revelation when Toby arrived, although they did have to endure a string of the behaviorist's taunts.

By ten-thirty, there was no sign of Happy and the four were deep in discussion as to whether they should accept a job to upgrade the security on a multi-million dollar estate recently purchased by a major television star.

"This is our chance to tap into the very lucrative local entertainment business," Toby commented, his eyes practically flashing dollar signs. "L.A. is lousy with celebrities, most of them justifiably paranoid when it comes to their privacy. After all, it's not paranoia when someone really is out to shoot you – with a camera, that is!" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began randomly snapping pictures. "When this gal sees what a great job we do, she'll tell her friends and before you can say 'America's Got Talent', we'll be known as _Scorpion – Security to the Stars_!"

"Assuming a conservative estimate of fifty new celebrity clients per year looking to upgrade their home security, at an average net cost of two hundred fifty thousand dollars in consulting fees, Scorpion could find itself on the receiving end of twelve and a half million dollars!" Sly contributed excitedly. "Oh!" he exclaimed, quickly bringing his fingers up to check the pulse point in his neck. "I'm hyperventilating just thinking about what my share of that much money would be. You know money makes me nervous!"

"GATHER ROUND, PEOPLE. WE GOT A CASE!" announced Cabe as he came in, removing his sunglasses while he approached the group. The team turned to listen to the Homeland agent, thoughts of big Hollywood paychecks temporarily set aside.

"Self-driving cars are the next big thing in the auto industry, and the federal government is taking a huge interest, since there is great potential for saving lives by taking human drivers – and their distractions – off the highways."

Cabe paused to look around. "I don't see Happy. I guess that means she wasn't kidding when I talked to her this morning."

Toby stood up, his chair crashing to the ground behind him. "You spoke to Happy? Is she okay?"

"Relax, son," Cabe answered, motioning for Toby to sit back down. "She's fine. I think she's mostly just embarrassed and…" he paused, obviously uncomfortable at being put in the position of intermediary between the lovers. "… and she doesn't know what to say to you. She called me at the crack of dawn this morning, says she's going somewhere with her Pop for a few days to figure out what she's going to do next."

Toby's face fell, but he reached behind him to right his chair and sit back down.

Cabe opened a large envelope he'd been carrying and pulled out a stack of photos, which he split up and passed around. "Sorry about the old tech, folks. The company that's developing these cars doesn't want any electronic versions of these photos anywhere. California is one of three states where the cars are being tested. They just moved the testing from strictly residential, low-speed areas to more major thoroughfares and small highways. In three years of low-speed testing, they had almost no accidents and the few that did occur were caused by the human drivers in other vehicles. In the two months since expanded testing began, there have been over fifty accidents, twenty of them causing significant property damage and one near fatality. In that case, the car appears to have suddenly sped up through a red light and plowed into the side of a car crossing its path. The young lady driving the other, normal vehicle sustained internal injuries. She's recovering now, but they very nearly lost her."

Cabe waited as the team took in the photos of everything from minor dented fenders to mangled wreckage.

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suspects sabotage, but they're concerned that the problem could be internal. They don't trust the company's own software engineers to review the code to see if there's any intentional tampering. Plus the code is some of the most complex in commercial use – built to respond in milliseconds to thousands of possible traffic situations. They want Scorpion to review their software and see if you geniuses can find the glitch."

Walter frowned, flipping through the images. "You said this started when they moved to higher speed tests. Are they sure it's not just a matter of the software or hardware not being robust enough to manage the inputs at higher speeds?"

"Well, that's why the Feds are in on this, Walter," Cabe smirked. "The company is claiming sabotage and corporate espionage by a competitor, but the government wants to be real sure that this isn't just a matter of their cars failing the test. There's a whole lot of lives at stake here, and we can't afford a company's desire for big profits to outweigh safety. NHTSA isn't part of Homeland, but they've asked to borrow you guys and, of course, since we're all one big, happy government family, Homeland is loaning you out."

"Geez," Toby quipped, "Who would have thought we'd be getting picked first for volleyball? The team captains are fighting over us, guys."

"Is anyone else at all concerned that this case is right up Happy's alley and she's not here?" asked Sylvester.

"You see, this is why I've been against workplace romances." Walter stood, slapping the stack of photos he held against his other hand. "It's a destabilizing element that Scorpion cannot afford. The result now being that a key member is not available to contribute her skills to this case."

Paige looked up, shocked that Walter was back to this, after everything they'd discussed over the weekend. Would he be trying to back out of their relationship? Now that they'd involved Ralph, she wasn't sure if she could forgive him.

"If Toby and Happy never gave in to their feelings," Walter continued, pacing, "Toby wouldn't have proposed and Happy would be here working with us today."

It was then that Walter scanned the room. Paige felt the hot tears brimming in her eyes as his gaze fell on her. She'd done her best in the past to never let him see how much his repeated rejections hurt, but this time she just couldn't do it. After everything that happened over the weekend, everything he'd said, she simply couldn't go backwards again.

Walter stood silent for a moment. His face transformed from conviction to confusion to consternation and finally settled on panic. He was beside Paige in three strides.

"Paige, I…" he stumbled. "I didn't mean…" He waved his hands in the air above her shoulders. "It _**is**_ destabilizing. _**That**_ is still true. But… what we do about it… we don't have to… to… avoid relationships. We just have to find a way to… to deal with them more efficiently – to minimize the disruption." He settled his hands awkwardly on her shoulders. Paige was conscious of all the eyes on them.

Cabe scoffed. "Son, you can't control relationships. That's like trying to get water to flow backwards."

Walter whirled to face the older man. "Then it shouldn't be a problem for Scorpion. We've already done that!"

Cabe backed up, his hands raised defensively. "Easy there, kid. What's gotten into you?"

Paige wasn't sure that Cabe might not be the one who was right in that argument. But she was hopeful that Walter seemed to believe that Scorpion and their relationship could co-exist. He wasn't backtracking – at least not yet. Still, she was worried about what might happen the first time they quarreled and things got… difficult.

"Paige," Walter turned back, ignoring Cabe. "We aren't Toby and Happy. We just won't let our personal relationship get in the way of Scorpion. We won't have secrets from each other and we'll find a way to maintain our equilibrium."

"Hold on!" Cabe interrupted, approaching the couple and pointing a finger back and forth between them. "Are you saying you two are…?"

Paige and Walter both nodded slowly. Toby walked up to the small group, while Sylvester grinned from where he sat at his desk.

"My friend here…" Toby slapped Walter on the back, "…has finally succumbed to Cupid's pointy arrows. After you left the other night, me and my Tequila had a heart to heart with the lad and he saw the error of his ways. He tore out of here on a mission to win his fair lady's heart. And against all odds and common sense, she apparently let him win. Walter and Paige are a thing – Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Age of Waige!"

"Well…I will be damned," Cabe shook his head. "Sylvester and Megan were one thing. But now there's Toby and Happy _**and**_ Walter and Paige. What is this, a tech shop or freakin' _Peyton Place_?"

"Peyton _**what?**_ " they all responded.

* * *

June 12, 2016


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 _If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 MPG. ~Bill Gates_

* * *

Paige sat in the backseat of Cabe's van as the team drove to the corporate headquarters of the software company. Walter was beside her, having an animated discussion with Toby and Sylvester about the approach they should take in their investigation. Sylvester was still at the garage, so someone would be there in case Happy decided to come back. Everyone felt the lack of their mechanical genius on this case.

The team liaison knew she should be paying more attention to the discussion, but her mind was too occupied with Walter's vacillating opinion on workplace romance. She supposed that her distraction was only proving his point, but she couldn't help it. Despite his assurances, she was concerned that the infuriating man might still back away from a relationship with her. Since Ralph was so obviously enthusiastic about the idea, she could not imagine having to tell him that the relationship was doomed before it really got started. _Be honest with yourself, Paige,_ she thought. _You're upset about how this will affect Ralph, but mostly you're afraid that what you've wanted for so long was right there in your hand and it might be yanked away_.

She blinked and stared out the tinted window for a moment, willing herself to get back on track and listen to the conversation, if for no other reason than to keep Walter from drawing any conclusions when she had no idea what the plan was.

"Sylvester is doing checks on all the current and past drivers. Toby, Cabe has arranged for you to be accepted into the driver training program. As soon as we get to the headquarters, you'll start mixing with the driver trainees and other drivers and see if there's any possibilities there. If this is sabotage, there's always the possibility that it's not related to the software at all. Get to know the mechanics, too."

"Right – because I have such a great track record with mechanics!" the behaviorist commented ruefully.

"Try not to propose to any of them, Son, and you should be fine." Cabe quipped.

"You're seriously gonna kick a shrink when he's down?" Toby responded.

Paige felt for the doc, but she wasn't sure if he was really hurt by the remarks, or just giving as good as he got. Toby usually seemed thick-skinned, but it didn't take a Harvard-trained psychiatrist to see through his frequent jokes and self-deprecating humor. Regardless, there was no reason there had to be two miserable people in this van.

"Shouldn't we all get back on the subject?" she inquired. "Walter, how will you get access to the software?"

"That's the easy part," he replied. "Right through the front door, essentially. Since the company has to answer to NHTSA on this, and NHTSA wants me to look at the software, I'll be given direct access to their servers. The only restriction is that they don't want the software leaving their custody, so I'm expected to review millions of lines of code without leaving the building."

"Will that work?" Paige wondered.

"Of course not. I'll want Sylvester to review the code too, plus we'll need to run it through some sniffer algorithms I've designed that can locate possible hacks or sabotage. So as soon as I get in, I'll set up an undetectable backdoor that will let us download everything to our servers in the garage. Sylvester will run the code analyzers and I'll hang around their server room looking very, very busy."

* * *

Toby sat in the auditorium with the other driver trainees, trying his best to look and act just as stupid as they were. Fortunately, Cabe had come up with the cover story that Toby was transferring from Arizona, where he'd been a fully trained test driver on the same program. Toby skimmed through the training manual on the way to the facility, so all he had to endure was a two hour "final orientation" before he could be out _**not**_ driving the test vehicles.

The presentation was less than riveting, allowing Toby's mind to wander. As usual, it wandered straight to Happy. Despite Cabe's assurances that Happy was okay, Toby recognized that his concern over Happy was causing him severe stress. He'd been battling his gambling demons for the entire weekend. Truthfully, he'd gone to the garage the day before in the hopes that he might find someone – anyone – there to keep him from hitting the track. Had he not found Walter and Paige, he would have made a beeline to find Sylvester and Ralph. He couldn't imagine what those two did during babysitting time, but he was down for anything just to keep himself occupied.

"Hey, buddy. You awake in there?"

The man sitting next to him was slapping the table in front of Toby, bringing him back to the present. "What? Oh sorry – just a little jet lagged there."

"Jet lagged? Flying in from Arizona? That is where you said you came from, right?"

"Arizona?" Toby was still momentarily confused. "Right! Arizona. Well, you know how flights are these days. I wanted the cheapest flight and they wound up routing me through Atlanta. Crazy, huh? They send you all the way East just to go an hour West."

"Yeah, right," commented Mister Brilliant. "So you've been doing this in Arizona. Any problems down there?"

"No…no problems at all. The cars drive way better than my girlfriend does, let me tell you. She's a maniac on the streets."

"Hmmm. So you haven't heard, then? About the cars? There've been some bad accidents with 'em. I heard a couple people got killed – crushed when the car turned on 'em and ran 'em over. Just like _Christine_ , man."

Toby sat up, turning to pay more attention. " _Christine_. You know that's just a movie, right?"

"Not from what I hear. You drive one of these self-driving cars, man – you're putting your life in _**its**_ hands – if it had hands."

"So if you believe all this, why are you here?" Toby asked reasonably.

"I got three kids and another one on the way. I was a stunt driver, workin' on the movies, you know? The wife asked me to quit that and get a safer job. She's the one that found out about this. But that was before all the accidents started. She don't know nothin' about that and I ain't gonna tell her. I figure if I can handle _The Fast and the Furious_ , I ain't gonna let no crazy machine get the better of me!"

"But hasn't any of this been on the news?" Toby asked, knowing that the actual details of the accidents were much less sensational than this man was implying and that the media had so far not paid much attention to them.

"Nah, man," the man responded, leaning in to whisper, "it's a gov'ment conspiracy. They don't want anyone to know 'bout it 'cause they wanna use these cars in the next war."

"So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your attention and diligence during these weeks of training. In addition to the monetary compensation you will receive for your vital work on this project, you can take pleasure in the knowledge that you, among hundreds of other test drivers, are in the vanguard of a new age when highway safety will be virtually guaranteed by modern technology and the days of routine vehicle fatalities will become a distant memory."

"Please take your temporary identification cards to desks in the anteroom, where you will receive your permanent credentials and the keys to your first self-driven vehicle. Happy _**not**_ -driving!"

Toby got up and followed his erstwhile neighbor out of the row of seats. He wanted to question the guy further; see if he could find out the source of the man's rumors. But as soon as Mister Information reached the end of the row, he took off like a shot up the outside of the shuffling lines of exiting trainees shoving people to one side in his haste. Toby didn't know if he was trying to escape, or simply needed to get to the rest room. Either way, it would look suspicious if Toby ran after him. He fell into line and made his way to the outer room to get his keys.

* * *

June 26, 2016


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note:** _ **I took a bit of a hiatus from Internal Combustion to write Hot Head and Cold Feet, which was supposed to be a one-shot but turned itself into four chapters. I apologize to the folks following IC, and I hope to get back to regular updates - assuming I don't get distracted by the next idea that wakes me up in the middle of the night. LOL**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _You break her heart, I'll break your neck ~ Dom, The Fast and the Furious_

* * *

"Trust me, Dad, you do _**not**_ want to know the details about my marriage. Suffice it to say, I got married young, I did not love the guy. I _**never**_ loved him, but for most of my life I thought I'd never _**want**_ to get married so I saw no reason to shell out the dough to get officially divorced. Given the circumstances at the time I had no idea how to go about it, anyway."

"Okay, Kitten," Patrick Quinn conceded, drawing his rod back and casting his line out across the water. "But once you realized how Toby felt… and I assume you have feelings for him, too… why didn't you set about setting things right? It's not like you don't have the money now." He looked pointedly around the large boat that his daughter hired for their outing.

Happy went straight to her Dad's garage after the fiasco of Toby's proposal. Patrick was the only person she could possibly talk to about this. In other circumstances, she might have talked to Walter. But she knew it wouldn't be fair to put her friend in the middle. In the same way, her father didn't need to hear all the details about how bad her life was after he left her in the care of the state. Happy accepted that was in the past, and that Patrick did what he thought was best for her. He hadn't known what was going to happen, and he didn't need to know about it now.

"I guess…" Happy sat down on one of the other fishing stools. She had been pacing the deck nervously while telling Patrick why she'd had to reject Toby's proposal. Her first surprise was how pleased her father was that Toby popped the question. She didn't think her dad liked the genius behaviorist all that much. Her second surprise was that her father didn't seem to know the first thing about fishing. He'd told her he loved the sport, and he had a wide collection of fishing rods and other stuff. But in the three hours since they'd left Marina Del Rey, he hadn't caught a single fish.

"I guess I figured staying married was the ultimate way to stay safe," Happy admitted, not feeling very proud of herself. "The truth is... I was… scared."

She concentrated on her hands, which were busy unscrewing a loose bolt on the railing. She wished she'd brought her toolbox with her. As expensive as this boat was, she noticed a number of minor maintenance issues that she could be taking care of if only she had her wrenches and maybe a hammer.

"Sweetheart," her dad said after Happy remained silent. "There's nothing wrong with being scared. Love is one of the scariest feelings there is. I guess for you it's gotta be scarier than it is for most of us 'cause there's nothing logical or scientific about it. You can't run an equation to figure out love; and you can't always rebuild it when it breaks like you can an engine. But when it works, honey, love is better than the sweet purr of a five-hundred horsepower V8."

"But that's just it, Dad. How can I be sure this is going to work? Toby… he's got issues. And I know he's working on them, but what if I wake up one morning and he's back at the track?"

"Happy," Patrick hooked his rod in the bracket and swiveled his stool around to face his daughter. "You don't get a guarantee about anything in this life. That motorcycle you love could break down tomorrow. Your computer could get a virus or an earthquake could flatten that garage where you work. But when you decided to link your life with those things, you didn't worry about that, now did you?"

"No, Dad. But I can fix the motorcycle or the laptop; and I can find another place to work. If I let myself fall in love with Toby and that breaks – I don't know how to fix that."

Patrick reached over and took his daughter's hands in his, taking the screw she'd been toying with and setting it on the bulkhead. "You fix it the same way you fix anything else. You figure out what's wrong and you tinker with it and keep trying until you get it back up and running. Then if the time comes that it's too far gone to fix, you set it aside and move on with your life. But you don't give up on it before you've even gone for a test drive."

Happy started to giggle. She looked up at her father and smiled, linking her fingers with his. Looking into his serious face, she began to laugh.

"What's so funny, Kitten?" he asked, starting to laugh himself.

"You," she answered, "telling me to take Toby Curtis out for a test drive!"

"Well," he sputtered, trying to control his laughter, "I maybe didn't mean it like _**that**_!"

After a moment, Happy quit laughing and caught her breath. "Can I ask you one more thing, Dad?"

"Sure, Sweetheart. Shoot."

"How can you say you love fishing when you haven't caught a single fish?"

* * *

There were times on a case when Paige had absolutely nothing to do.

Normally, those times didn't bother her. Scorpion's key function, after all, was usually in the hands of the geniuses. On a case like this, once whatever interactions they had to have with other people were managed, Paige could sit back and just let them do their jobs, then deal with the paperwork afterward. It made up for the times when cases got exciting – like dangerous exciting. Thinking of some of the exciting cases they'd had, she was perfectly happy being bored.

Today, however, bored just meant she couldn't stop wondering if there was really any chance for her to have a lasting relationship with Walter O'Brien. At one point, she even found herself comparing Walter and Drew. Drew was physically absent, almost from the start, as he chased his dream of a baseball career. Would Walter really be any different if he was mentally and emotionally distant while he chased his intellectual dreams? And what about his on-again, off-again opinions regarding workplace relationships? Walter obviously knew nothing about relationships if he thought they would be able to avoid any disruption or that their personal relationship would never affect Scorpion.

"If you're worried, you know you really don't need to be."

"I'm s..sorry?" Paige stammered, surprised at the statement. "What… what would I be worried about?"

Cabe ventured a glance in the direction of the liaison, then turned back to keep his eye on the Los Angeles traffic. "You and Walter. I can't say that I'm surprised that you're worried about what you've gotten yourself into, but you really don't need to be."

"Cabe," Paige responded, "Walter has never been in this sort of relationship. He has trouble maintaining relationships with his family and with his friends. How can I _**not**_ be worried?"

"Because I've known Walter longer than any of you and there are two things I can tell you about him." Cabe paused to signal a change of lanes, then quickly maneuvered the van between two other cars to get into the lane that led to the freeway on ramp. "One is that he has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known. He tries to keep it hidden, but that's because he gets hurt easy and he's learned that from when he was young. One of the great regrets of my life is that I contributed to that lesson."

"What's the other thing?" Paige asked.

"The other thing is that when he does open his heart – when he loves someone – he gives his whole heart to it. Part of that is because, just like everything else Walter does, he wants to be perfect. Part of it is probably because he believes if he does a good job at it, he's less likely to be hurt. But I think the biggest part of it is just because that's the way Walter is. He'd like you to believe he doesn't have emotions but the truth is his emotions are so intense that they scare the crap out of him. He doesn't know how to love someone halfway. And once he starts loving someone, he doesn't know how to stop, either. You saw how he was with Megan. Do you really think he's going to be anything less with you – or with Ralph?"

Paige wondered at the wisdom of this man who tried to hide his own big heart behind a no-nonsense exterior. Not many would have realized she was just as concerned about Ralph's relationship with Walter as her own. "Megan was different. Megan was his sister."

"She's also the only person in his family that he feels that way about. Like I said, Walter doesn't give his heart easy. And he doesn't do it just because it's expected. But if you've got his heart, Paige - and I've watched him with you for a couple years now; believe me, you've got it - you're not ever going to lose it. That's just not how Walter O'Brien works."

"Work is exactly what I'm worried about. I'm just not sure I can compete with Walter's work. He's made it very clear how important Scorpion is to him – how he doesn't want anything to distract him from that."

"That's where you're wrong, too. Walter's driven, no question. But he's dedicated to his work _**because**_ of the people he loves – not despite them."

Cabe exited the freeway and made his way down the ramp that would lead them to the garage. He was dropping Paige off because she told him she wanted to be there when Ralph got off school. The truth was, Paige was nervous about being in a working situation alone with Walter. She doubted that Cabe was fooled, though. His comments proved he'd seen some of the turmoil she was trying to keep hidden. After he dropped her off, Cabe would return to the software company and start questioning some of the employees. Sylvester hadn't found anything suspicious in the drivers' backgrounds, but he was still working on the other employees when they'd last checked in with him.

"Walter built Scorpion to help find a cure for Megan. He's determined to keep it running because Toby and Happy and Sylvester… and now you… and Ralph… need it. You would get along fine without Scorpion but Happy and Toby and Sly? They would be lost. He'd have given it all up if it got between him and Megan. He won't let it come between you either."

"I just… I've been with a man whose career took him away from me. I'm not sure I want to deal with another man who's just as distant for different reasons."

Cabe parked the van and cut the engine. Paige released her seatbelt and opened the door to get out, but the older agent reached out to stop her. "Give him a chance, Paige. He won't disappoint you."

Paige looked into his earnest eyes. After a moment she nodded. "Honestly, Cabe. I don't think I really have much choice. I love him, too."

Cabe returned the nod and smiled. "I know you do. I saw the sparks between you two way back at the diner. It just took Mr. Genius a long time to figure it out."

* * *

July 4, 2016


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Quintis have decided to take over this story for a little while. But do not fear. Waige will be back.** __

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _Rational discussion is useful only when there is a significant base of shared assumptions._

 _~ Noam Chomsky_

* * *

Toby Curtis could definitely get used to this.

The vehicle he was in was merrily touring a residential area near Simi Valley. The new drivers were cautioned to stick to residential streets and other low-speed roadways for their first week, or until they were cleared for higher speeds. No test driving was to be conducted on the Los Angeles freeways as yet. It took Toby nearly an hour to get to his designated "test environment". He stopped for lunch at a burger joint before programming the car for its random testing mode. In that mode, the car was supposed to drive randomly through the area, keeping within a specified boundary.

One of the first things he noted about the self-driving car was how pleasant it was to let the car do the driving along the old pass roads while he was able to enjoy the scenic vistas. The second thing was how much easier it was to eat his lunch while "driving" when he didn't need to keep a hand on the wheel.

He was just peering into the bottom of his French fry container when he was interrupted by music coming from his pants. He was wearing his comm unit, so he couldn't imagine who might be calling. Unless….

" _You are the man…ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh… The one and only ma…an. That I need, yeah… ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…"_

Toby quickly turned in the seat to awkwardly raise a hip and reach into his back pocket for the ringing phone. He didn't pause to check the caller id. There was only one person that ringtone was assigned to. It took him weeks to find the clip and now whenever she called, he was reminded of holding her in his arms. He only hoped that he would be able to do that again one day.

"Happy?" he blurted at the phone, abashed at the squeak in his voice. "Happy, are you okay?" He knew it was biologically impossible for him to be reverting to puberty, but he certainly felt like a nervous teenager, not knowing what effect this conversation might have on his life.

"Hey, Doc," came the sweet voice of his heart's love. "I'm…yeah…I'm okay. Doc, I'm sorry I ran off like that."

"No, Happy," he interrupted. "I'm the one who's sorry. I should never have pushed you…tricked you…like I did. You made it pretty clear you weren't ready for my…my question. But I just…I was so crazy… I just… I should have stopped to listen to what you were saying but I just… I ran all over you and I'm sorry."

"What do you say I accept your apology, Doc, and you accept mine and we call it even?"

"Well, okay – but on one condition."

"Seriously? You're negotiating with me?"

"Yes, I am, Happy Quinn. Because if we're going to work our way past this, I'm going to need to hear the story behind this marriage of yours. Who are you married to, for how long, and what are your future plans for staying married? I'm sure you have your reasons for… for not mentioning this, and I respect that. But when you start seeing a person – sometimes naked – on a regular basis, you sort of expect that person to be legally allowed to do that. When you find out she's not, well, it's more than a little upsetting."

Toby sat up in the seat, and brushed crumbs off his shirt. "My condition is that I get an explanation. I don't want to rush you – just as soon as you're ready to give me one. I am hoping that will be soon, though, because Happy – it's driving me nuts not knowing."

Toby waited. After a minute or two of silence he was beginning to wonder if the call had been dropped – or maybe Happy hung up in the middle of his speech. He probably deserved it if she did. He of all people knew you could only push Happy Quinn so far – and it wasn't very.

"You got a deal."

Her answer was followed by a long and very loud horn blasting through the phone.

"Where the hell are you Happy? Let me switch the phone to the other ear before you answer, I think I've temporarily lost hearing on one side."

"Uh… that was a ship's horn. I took my dad fishing. I needed to get somewhere that I couldn't be found for a little while. And… I needed to… to talk some things out… with him."

"Did you catch anything?"

"Nah, nothing. I've never been fishing a day in my life, and I don't think my dad has either."

Toby tried to think of something else to say. Something other than the two or three questions that burned at the top of his mind. At last he decided to go with number three.

"So… when do you think you might be back?"

"We're just pulling into the dock now. Dad and I are gonna grab a late lunch, but I should be home by dinner."

"Home?"

"Yeah, Toby. My home. I think I should probably fulfill that condition of yours before we…"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Of course."

"Maybe we can meet at that diner where Paige used to work?"

"Neutral territory?"

"Look. We both know that if we meet at my place or we meet at yours, one or both of us will forget all about talking. And we really need to talk. I don't want to do Kovelsky's, there's too much chance of running into someone we know."

Toby sighed. It's exactly what he would recommend if he and Happy were patients. But damn, he hated the thought of spending the evening having awkward conversation over coffee in a ratty old fake leather booth. It was a start, though, and he'd take it.

"All right. We're working a case, but I should be finished with what I'm doing about six. Meet you at seven?"

"Sure. What's the case? Anything I can help with?"

"Happy, when you hear what this case is about you are going to be so pissed that you're missing it…"

* * *

Happy Quinn sat nervously in the booth at Frank's Diner, nursing a second cup of coffee. It was stupid of her to arrive early, and not just because at the rate she was sucking down the caffeine, she would be too wired to get any sleep at all. Recalling Toby's track record for meet-ups at restaurants, her demeanor was not being helped by the extra waiting time. She wasn't dressed up this time, and she certainly wasn't wearing perfume, but there was a lot more riding on this meeting. If Curtis stood her up this time, it would be the last meeting they would ever have.

She glanced at her watch, which obligingly told her that just two minutes had passed since the last time she checked, which meant that it was still three minutes before seven and Toby was not late at all. She shouldn't even be thinking about how much time she would wait – after seven – before she gave up on him. It was still too early to even be thinking about that, but she was.

Thirty minutes? Or was that too much? Fifteen? Not enough. She shouldn't be petty about time with so much at stake. After all, this was LA. Traffic happens. She would give him at least forty-five minutes. Toby could drive from his place to Frank's and back twice in forty-five minutes, even the way he drove.

The waitress came over with the coffee pot, but Happy waved her off. Thinking she should get something to make the work worth the poor woman's time, she asked for ice water and a Cobb salad. At least if Toby was late, the salad would be something to keep her occupied.

After the waitress left with her order, Happy spotted a small and very strange looking little car pulling into a parking spot next to hers. It wasn't any make she was familiar with and it had what looked like a bubble light sitting on the roof. While she was staring at the odd vehicle, Doctor Tobias Curtis stepped out of it. Since when did Toby have a new car? How could he go out car shopping without taking her with him? Was he _**nuts**_ for getting such a bizarre looking automobile? It didn't look like it could do more than a top speed of forty-five.

As soon as Toby entered the diner, Happy called to him. "HeyDoc! What is that ridiculous looking thing you drove up in?"

"Happy! Good to see you, too."

The behaviorist made his way over to the booth. Happy thought for a minute he was going to lean over and kiss her, but apparently he decided against that. He slid into the booth opposite her. The waitress was standing right behind him. She put Happy's ice water on the table and handed Toby a menu. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked.

"Sure," Toby answered. "I'd like a Pepsi, and I'm starving so can you bring me a burger and some fries?"

"Sure thing," she answered, taking back the menu. Then she turned to Happy. "Do you want me to hold your salad until his sandwich is ready? It should only be a few minutes, we're not busy tonight."

"Um… sure," Happy replied. She wasn't really hungry and there was no point in sitting there staring at a dish of rabbit food while she told the Doc her life story.

The waitress left and Happy got back to the subject uppermost in her mind. "Once again, Doc. What's with the crazy car?"

"Um… we should talk about that later. I know you're curious, but we met to talk about… other things. We really shouldn't let ourselves be distracted."

Happy ran a thumb down the side of her water glass, chasing the beads of condensation. "I guess that's what I get for dating a shrink," she muttered. Looking back up, she studied the doctor for a moment. She wouldn't have blamed him if he was angry. Hell, if the situation were reversed she'd be furious. She knew he was capable of anger, but she couldn't remember him ever directing that emotion at her. She sometimes wished he would. Anger was something she'd dealt with all her life. She knew how to give as well as she got in that arena. But this business of always talking through things was just not in her skillset. Still, in the few weeks they had officially been in a relationship, Happy discovered that talking worked much better than yelling – well except maybe for that one time on the roof when she'd reamed him about his gambling. Not only had he pretty much toed the line since then – but the sex that night was truly phenomenal.

"So… I guess I should probably tell you a little something about my life before I met Walter."

"If that's when this whole marriage thing took place, then, yeah."

A frosty glass of soda appeared in front of Toby, but the waitress, apparently sensing the atmosphere, turned again and left without saying a word.

"Yeah." Happy took a couple of napkins from the holder on the edge of the table and mopped up the accumulation of condensation puddled around her glass. Wadding up the wet paper, she set it to one side, then got another napkin, folded it and placed her water glass on top of the impromptu coaster.

"Take your time, Happy. I have all night if you need it."

* * *

July 7, 2016 – July 31, 2016


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note: I took a little hiatus from this story because, after a bit of soul-searching I decided to re-write this chapter and give Happy a better story. If you read chapter 9 before it would really be good to read it again, as I've changed things around quite a bit. Also – this story is now officially diverging from canon, since Season 3 has started.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 _Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without.~James Dobson_

* * *

"I guess it's a good thing this place is open twenty-four hours," she said, grinning slightly. "Look, Doc. I know I was wrong not to tell you. It happened a long time ago, and I was still pretty much just a kid. I haven't thought about it in years and… I've tried hard to forget about that part of my life. I thought about it when you made that offhand comment about marriage a few weeks ago, but I really didn't think you were serious. By the time I realized you _**were**_ I… I panicked. I just couldn't figure out how to tell you. Plus there was really no time. It didn't really hit me until Collins called you my fiancé and said he had the ring. Then there was the whole business with you in that Tholian Web thing and we were never alone. It's not something I want to discuss with everyone else listening in, Doc."

"So why don't you tell me now. We're… well, we're not completely alone, but close enough."

Happy took a deep breath, then took a sip from her water. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer.

"So… you know I was raised in the foster system, right?"

Toby nodded.

"So, none of my foster families were great prizes. I've heard that there are some families that really take it seriously. The kinds of families that do it because they love kids. But I was never lucky enough to get one of those families. The ones I got stuck with were usually in it for the money they got from the state for each kid. Folks would take in six kids and basically indulge their own selves off that money."

"I've heard of that. The state tolerates it because there just aren't enough people willing to foster."

"Yeah. Most of those folks were at least tolerable. They wanted as little to do with me and the other kids as they could get away with, while still keeping the social workers satisfied. By the time I got to be fifteen I figured out what a scam the whole thing was – at least in my experience – so… I started looking for a way out. I was sick and tired of being bounced from family to family, but I didn't like the idea of just running away. I wanted to be able to stay in school – crazy as that was - and runaway foster kids can't do that. "

Once again the waitress appeared, placed two plates on the table. She started to walk away, then thought better of it. "Do you two need anything else?" she asked.

"No, no, we're good," said Happy.

Glancing from Happy to Toby, the waitress nodded. "Okay then. If… if you all need anything I'll be right over there behind the counter. Just wave and I'll be right over. In the meantime I'll leave you to… to enjoy your meal." Then she turned and walked swiftly to the other side of the restaurant, well out of earshot.

"Perceptive woman, that one," Toby commented.

"Yeah. Anyways, as I was saying, I wanted out of the system but I wanted to do it in a legal way. So I started researching what it would take to become an emancipated minor. My foster mother at the time was big into TV shows about legal stuff and there was an episode that talked about it. But the thing is, there's only three ways in California to become emancipated. One is to join the military and I really didn't want to do that. Another is to petition the court, but that costs money and you have to be employed and able to support yourself and you pretty much have to have the consent of your guardian. Since the state is your guardian, that's pretty much not gonna happen."

Happy pushed the greens around her plate, stabbed a piece of boiled egg and popped it into her mouth. Somehow, having started down this road, her nerves were gone and she found she actually was hungry. She looked longingly at Toby's burger and fries, and he immediately pushed his plate towards the center of the table, turning it so the fries were on her side. She reached over and snagged a couple.

"I'm not sure I follow, Happy. What does all this have to do with you being married?"

"I'm getting there, Mister Impatient."

Toby leaned back and put up his hands as if to ward off an attacker. "Sorry, sorry!"

"So, the couple I was with at the time had four kids; me, a boy who just turned seventeen, and two toddlers that we had to watch whenever we weren't in school so the couple could go do whatever it was they liked to do on the state's money. Me and Seth had been there for a little over a year, and we got along pretty well."

She speared some turkey and ham and chewed on it for a moment before grabbing another French fry. She could tell the doc was getting more impatient. He was fidgeting and twisting around in his seat like he had to use the restroom or something. Which, considering how much soda he'd been drinking, could well be the case. Well, he had a voice, if he needed to pee he could say so.

Happy took a deep breath, and drank the last of her water. She wanted to call the waitress for more, but she was anxious to finish her story, so she pressed on.

"In Mississippi the age of consent for females is fifteen. Seth knew what I was trying to do, so he suggested we take off for Mississippi and get married. He was very clear that it would be a marriage in name only, and we were only doing it to get out of the system."

Toby looked blankly at her.

"He was saying there would be no hanky-panky, Doc. And I gotta give him that. He was a man – or rather a boy – of his word in that department. He never touched me except for one kiss during the ceremony at the courthouse. He said we needed it to look authentic."

Toby sat up a moment. "So was this guy gay? Or were you one of those gawky teenagers who grows up to be beautiful?"

Happy frowned. "Neither. Seth was a lazy asshole. And maybe he believed me when I told him I'd deck him if he laid a finger on me. But really the only thing Seth wanted out of the arrangement was a way out of the system, a roof and a meal ticket. "

"I don't follow," came the response. Toby dragged his plate back over and picked up his burger. Happy was about to protest the loss of the fries, but then thought the least she could do was let the guy eat. It would keep him from interrupting every other sentence.

"We hitchhiked – and occasionally borrowed transportation – all the way to Mississippi. Stopped in some little town that was the county seat of some little county and we got married. With our license in hand, we came back to California, petitioned the state for emancipation and we were free. Except he was more free than me. We were both supposed to get jobs and go back to school. I managed to get a pretty decent job helping out in an auto shop in the afternoons and on weekends. Seth figured I made enough money to pay the rent and feed us both, so he spent his days skipping school, hanging around the apartment watching television and eating pizza and once in a while he'd hang out with a gang of dropouts who found ways of obtaining money that weren't strictly legal."

Happy took another bite of her salad, then pushed the dish away and waved to the waitress. She was there in a moment and Happy asked her to bring another plate of fries. Once the woman left, she finished her story.

"You may have realized I don't particularly like being taken advantage of."

Toby nodded, chewing slowly.

"So, I left him. One Friday night while he was out with his buddies I packed up all my stuff and left. I didn't think it was safe to stay in L.A., so I took a little bit of money I'd been saving and bought an old car and just started traveling around the state, stopping someplace for a few weeks or months whenever I could get a job. I worked mostly in auto shops, so I was able to keep the car running well enough to get me to whatever the next town was. I had my schoolbooks with me and it wasn't long before I figured out I could teach myself way better than I learned things in school. So I bought more books – a few a stole when I didn't have money – and before long I was driving around in a mini library. In a weird way, I guess I sorta owe Seth. If he wasn't such a bum I probably would have stayed in high school and I wouldn't have learned half the stuff I know now. Not just from the books, but I got a hell of a lot of practical knowledge from all the work I did. Sometimes I got jobs with electricians and plumbers and pretty much any outfit that was remotely mechanical."

The fresh fries arrived and Happy grabbed a few, but quickly put them back down when they burned her fingers.

"Here, let me look at that," Toby said, taking her hand and turning it over to examine the fingertips. Happy continued talking while Toby took a napkin, soaked it with her ice water and gently pressed the chilled cloth to the minor burns.

"By the time I was eighteen, I got tired of playing nomad and decided to come back to L.A. I kept a low profile since I was still worried that Seth might find me, although by that time I realized he was probably too lazy to even try. I went by our old apartment once and it was pretty obvious he wasn't living there, so I checked out a few of his hangouts and there was no sign of him. I thought about getting a divorce, but that would cost money I didn't have, and I would have to make an effort to contact him. I really didn't want to do that because I figured he might try to sue for support or something. I didn't have much at the time, but what I had I worked hard for and I really didn't want to lose anything. I'm still, frankly, a little worried about putting that into motion, especially now that we're actually making some money. Technically, everything I have I acquired during the marriage. He could claim abandonment or something and pretty much take half of everything I've got… plus put a claim on anything I earn in the future."

Happy pulled her hand back, feeling a little awkward at the contact while she told her boyfriend about her husband. "For all I know, he may be dead and I may be a free woman. But I don't know, and I'm not legally divorced, so… that's why I can't marry you."

* * *

Toby leaned back in the booth. His meal was forgotten; his appetite had flown. For one of the first times in his life, he was having a serious problem controlling his anger. He wasn't angry with Happy.

"Wow," was all he could think of to say. Real brilliant, Curtis!

"Yeah. I never really thought about how crazy this story must sound."

"No, no," he quickly responded. "I mean… yes… it sounds sort of crazy. But crazy stuff like that happens all the time – especially to people like us. You know, there's an asshole born every day."

"I think the quote is 'There's a sucker born every day.' In this case, I'm the sucker."

"God, no, Happy! You shouldn't think of it that way. I mean sure, a real jerk took advantage of you, but like I said, it happens all the time to us. _**And**_ you were still just a kid. _**And**_ look at what you made out of that experience. You're brilliant, Happy. And you're self-sufficient. And you don't take crap from anyone. I know now where you get two out of three of those qualities. But it's no thanks to Seth. It's all because _**you**_ decided you weren't going to take it lying down." Toby paused, then grinned. "Sorry, poor choice of words, even if Seth didn't…"

"Yeah, well he didn't. It was a long time ago, Doc. I mostly don't even think about it anymore but… now, I sort of have to …"

Happy was silent for a while, her words hanging between them. Toby assumed that whatever she was about to say, she'd decided against it. She signaled to the waitress, holding up her water glass which was quickly replaced with a full one. After taking several healthy swallows, she reached a hand across the table. Toby thought she might want to take his hand, but then she pulled the hand back and got some French fries. She didn't eat them, just toyed with them, tearing off tiny pieces and sprinkling them on top of her salad. .

"Doc… back in the garage… when the confetti was exploding and you were doing the singing… you do know I wanted to say Yes?"

* * *

July 31, 2016 – October 16, 2016


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 _The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. ~Maya Angelou_

* * *

Walter entered the garage after Cabe dropped him off. The two of them Skyped with Sly earlier that day. Sly identified some drivers with possible issues for Toby to look into and confirmed that there was nothing in the vehicle software to explain the sudden rash of accidents. Walter spent the rest of the afternoon checking through the servers, making sure there was no hidden code and ensuring that his backdoor would not be discovered. So far, their combined efforts had come up with exactly zilch.

Surprisingly, the office seemed deserted. He knew Sylvester left about an hour before, saying something about a mentoring program. Walter was surprised and made a note to ask the math whiz more about it once the case was resolved. Sly was a very generous and caring man, but his OCD and other issues had always made him unwilling to enter into any activities that involved meeting or socializing with strangers. Acting as a mentor would be a huge step.

He did expect Paige to be here, and Ralph as well. Neither were anywhere to be found. He started up the stairs, thinking that Paige might have taken his suggestion that she leave a few personal items in his loft as an invitation to make herself at home. The moment he thought of it, he realized that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted Paige to feel that she could share his home at any time and in any way she wanted. He began to take the stairs two at a time, hoping he would find them waiting for him.

A quick circuit through the loft left Walter disappointed. He was completely alone. As recently as a month ago that wouldn't bother him. On the contrary, he would see it as an opportunity to do what he wanted to; eat what he wanted to, listen to what he wanted to. Now, it made him feel… gloomy, sapped of enthusiasm.

Paige had been distant ever since they started this case and the genius was at a loss to understand why. Normally she would hang around whenever he was working onsite for a client. Today she left the offices of the software company as soon as she could. It was also unlike her to disappear at the end of the day without at least a quick review of the day's events. At the very least she would leave a note – or send him an e-mail – but there was nothing. He knew he'd made a small gaffe when he'd restated his misgivings about workplace romances. He thought he'd explained how they would overcome the issue. All it required was a level of control. They just needed to deal with any issues that arose with calm logic. There was nothing logical about Paige's avoidance of him.

Perhaps she wasn't avoiding him at all? Perhaps she was waiting for him to make some sort of overture? This was exactly the reason he was so reluctant to venture into this sort of relationship with Paige. In contrast with his extensive knowledge of most things remotely related to science, what Walter O'Brien _**didn't**_ know about human relationships could fill a small galaxy – metaphorically speaking.

Walter reached into his pocket for his phone. A simple phone call couldn't possibly do any harm, right? If Paige was, in fact, still upset with him over what he said earlier, perhaps he could better explain his plan and ease her mind. If not, well, Walter realized that his stomach was growling. Perhaps Paige and Ralph hadn't eaten yet and they could all meet for dinner.

"Siri, call Paige."

"Calling Paige."

Walter paced as the phone rang.

"Walter?"

"P… Paige?"

The phone rang again.

"Paige. There seems to be something wrong with this connection. The phone is still ringing."

"That's because I haven't answered it. It's still in my purse. I'm downstairs, Walter."

The ringing stopped and Walter heard an echo in Paige's voice as one version came up from the bottom of the stairs and the other came through his phone.

"Cabe called me after he dropped you off. I hope you haven't had dinner yet. I brought some stuff over. I know you probably want to work on the case, but if I'm right you haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

Walter chuckled and disconnected the phone call as he made his way down the stairs. Paige was standing at the bottom, tucking her phone back into her purse. On the floor at her feet were a couple of reusable grocery bags. "No," Walter affirmed, "I haven't eaten and I'm starving. What… what's in the bags?" He hoped she hadn't gone to much trouble, right now he was hungry enough to eat a mud pie and enjoy it.

"It's just a chicken dish I made last weekend, with scalloped potatoes, some vegetables and the makings of a salad I picked up fresh on the way over. With our crazy working schedule, whenever I have a day off, I whip up a few meals that freeze well so I have something quick to fix for Ralph and me for dinner."

"Speaking of Ralph…" Walter combed the area with his eyes. The youngster wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Oh, he's with Sly. I'm going to owe that man so much for all the times he takes care of Ralph for me."

"Sly likes Ralph a lot. I'm sure he's happy to help. But he told me he was starting a mentoring program this evening."

Walter picked up the bags from the floor and led the way upstairs. It was a perfectly normal thing to do, after all, Paige had spent time in his loft on hundreds of previous evenings, usually while Ralph occupied himself with a video game or slept on the couch. Somehow, tonight felt different, and not just because Ralph wasn't with them.

"He is." Paige explained. "He found out about the program from Ralph, actually. It's a program for gifted math students at the university. Ralph wanted to join the group, but because they meet in the evenings, I wasn't sure I should let him. I don't want to be a hovering mother, but I don't want him on the campus alone at night either. With Sly serving as one of the mentors, it solves that problem."

They reached the top of the stairs and Walter set the bags on the small counter in his kitchen.

"That's a big step for Sly. He's not comfortable meeting new people – especially not in groups."

"I know. Which is another reason I owe him big time for everything he's doing. Especially now that…"

Walter turned to find that Paige was standing just a few inches away. "Now that..." he repeated.

Paige slowly took a step closer and reached out a hand. Despite everything they'd been through since his strange trip to Tahoe, Walter was acutely aware that they had barely touched each other, and then only when he needed her help due to his injury. The hand he reached out to meet hers shook slightly. Then she took his other hand and stepped even closer. If Walter looked down he would likely be able to see the top edge of her brassiere, assuming she was even wearing one. He kept his eyes focused rigidly forward.

"Now that we're… together. It will be nice to have evenings when we can spend some time alone."

"A… alone?"

"Sly will bring Ralph back here when their class is over. That should be about nine-thirty. Until then, we have some time to ourselves," she hinted.

Walter had a good general idea of what she was getting at, but wasn't sure just how far she expected things to go. He'd encountered women occasionally who assumed that any interpersonal social engagement would conclude with sex. He would not have thought Paige was that way. From what he knew of her social history, she spent most of the past eleven years working multiple jobs and single-handedly raising a child. He supposed that made social engagements nearly impossible. Perhaps she was…. sexually frustrated? He gulped.

"I um… wh… what about dinner?"

"I just have to pop everything in the oven to warm up. It'll take about forty-five minutes. I don't want to heat things up too quick or something might get burnt."

"Yes….um… we wou…wouldn't want to let things… um… get too hot… uh… too fast." Walter gulped.

Suddenly, his hands were empty and Paige was busily unpacking items from the bags. She handed Walter a plastic bag of salad greens, two small tomatoes and a package of sliced mushrooms. "Here. You can throw a salad together for us, can't you?"

"Um… uh… sure." Walter placed the bags on a small clear area of counter and reached up to get the biggest bowl he owned, relieved to be doing something so banal. The bowl was just an oversized soup bowl that he used when he had chili or pasta. It was not nearly large enough to toss a salad. He glanced at Paige and shrugged his shoulders. He was out of his element in more ways than one. He never fixed meals for anyone other than himself.

"Just get a couple of serving bowls and make the salads individually. I can see we're going to have to expand your inventory of kitchen things if I'm going to be spending time over here. Don't think me bringing dinner like this is going to be a regular thing, though. I'm not averse to cooking, but I don't plan to be the only one in this relationship that does that."

"No…no of course not," he agreed, putting his chili bowl back and getting down two of the plastic bowls he used for cereal. None of the women he previously dated ever brought dinner for him. Actually, Paige was the first woman who'd ever been in his loft. Here was another aspect of dating where he was completely lost. Did he need to take cooking classes? "You haven't actually eaten anything I've made. Are you sure you're willing to try?"

"I don't know. What do you make?" she asked.

"Reservations."

Paige was about to pick up the baking dish full of chicken, but quickly put it back down and braced a hand on the edge of the counter. Laughing, she turned to look at Walter, who was carefully slicing tomatoes on top of the bowls of salad greens. "You're serious!" She took the half tomato from him and looked around. "Hmm. No cutting board either." She got down a plate and placed the half tomato on it, then gathered up the thick slices that Walter had cut. "For a salad, you really need the tomato cut in chunks, not slices. Otherwise it's really messing getty it into your mouth." She stacked the tomato slices and, taking the knife from Walter quickly quartered them. Then she gathered up the chunks and scattered them on top of the greens. Handing the knife back to Walter she said, "Here – you finish." Then she turned, quickly rinsed her hands in the sink and put the chicken and potatoes in the oven.

"So you really don't know how to cook anything?" she asked, leaning against the counter while Walter struggled to finish assembling the salads.

"I can open cans and heat up frozen dinners when I have to. And I can make a PB and J sandwich. But mostly I have meals delivered, or I go to Kovelsky's."

"No, no." She reached out and grabbed his arm before he could grasp the bottle of salad dressing. "If we put that on now the salads will get all soggy. Put it all in the fridge to stay cool and then we can go sit while we wait for dinner. Unless you have some work you want to do? I can take care of some paperwork."

Paige was giving him a pass. Of all people, Paige knew how uncomfortable he was with just being close to other people. Based on her actions just a few moments ago, he realized she came over tonight… if not precisely with expectations, at least with hopes of moving their fledgling relationship forward… physically.

Walter knew that was part of any relationship. He'd engaged in intimate activities with some of the women he dated. Some of those encounters had even been gratifying. Janice certainly seemed satisfied with his endeavors in that area. The thought of Janice reminded Walter of her advice. Whatever Janice might think, Walter was not concerned about Paige's ability to stimulate him. She might not be able to discuss rocket theory or mathematical equations, but he found her endlessly fascinating. Paige taught him things he could not learn from books. They were things he'd thought were unimportant, but he'd since learned – from Paige, from Happy and even from Mark Collins - that they were. He couldn't imagine losing interest in Paige, but would he be able to make that real connection with her that Janice deemed so vital? Certainly he couldn't expect to do so by spending their evening alone focused on the case.

He'd told Paige they would be doing any kissing in the privacy of his loft. Paige told her son that she hoped they might kiss soon, although Ralph didn't seem too impressed with the idea. If he counted from the time that he got to Tahoe, they had officially been a couple for almost three days and they hadn't shared a kiss yet – at least not _**as**_ a couple. Paige wanted it, and Walter realized that he, too, wanted it – very much.

Grabbing the two bowls of salad, he practically threw them into the refrigerator, and quickly set the bottle of salad dressing in the door and shut it. Then he turned back to Paige.

Now what? Should he just kiss her here? Should he lead her over to the couch and… and what? Suggest they watch television and then hope she would repeat the moves she started earlier? He'd faced armed criminals and ticking bombs, knowing exactly the right move to make from moment to moment, but he was at a loss with how to proceed in this situation.

"M… maybe we can si… sit down," he waved in the direction of his living area.

Paige looked confused for a moment, then smiled. "All right," she said.

Walter starred after her as she went and sat down on the couch. If he followed her, would she continue to lead? Or would she leave it all up to him?

"We could watch some TV if you like," she said, picking up the remote.

"I don't watch much television. I find reality shows anything but and most of the dramas are both predictable and inaccurate from a… from a scientific standpoint."

Walter realized he was standing in front of the couch. He slowly sat down, twisting his body at the last moment so that he would be partially facing her. Observing the distance between them he noted that he probably should have gotten closer before he sat down. If he moved closer now, it would be awkward. Their current positions would allow them to touch, but only barely. However, if he could shift about six inches closer, then all he would have to do is lean over and…

Paige scooted over, closing the distance. "Walter, I can tell that you're… you're nervous. I'm nervous, too. It's been a long time since I've been in this situation with a… with a man that I… that I have real feelings for. I know your uncomfortable and I don't want to mess things up by pushing you into something you're not ready for, but I get the sense that maybe you are ready, but you don't know quite what to do. So I'm not sure what I should do."

Walter shifted closer. Hesitantly, he raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder. He recalled the last time he'd kissed her. He didn't know quite what to do with his hands then, either. Of course, then he'd had the excuse of a very awkward and potentially dangerous brace. There was no brace in his way now. He moved the hand up, cupping her cheek, pleased when she leaned in to the caress, and even more pleased when she reached out to mirror his actions.

"I su… suppose it's a good thing Ralph isn't here… considering that he thinks this sort of thing is um… distasteful."

"Walter, we don't have to…"

Walter leaned over and set his lips on hers, drawing her closer. The position was awkward, but Paige quickly adjusted the angle of her head and Walter shifted slightly himself until their lips were in perfect alignment. One hand moved on its own around the back of her neck and up into her hair while his other hand found its way down to her waist. He wrapped that arm around her and drew her forward. He wanted to feel every inch of her, pressed up tightly to every inch of him. He parted his lips and sucked gently, then licked, encouraging her to grant him entry. He recalled what this was like, exploring the moist, warm depths of her mouth, tangling and teasing. Paige was doing some exploring of her own, reaching a hand up to toy with the thick, short curls on the back of his head. Her other hand was sandwiched between them, and he could feel her slender fingers sneaking in between the buttons of his shirt. Why did he always insist on wearing undershirts? The thought that he could be feeling those fingers toying with the cluster of hair that led down to…

"Incoming call from… Know It All… Incoming call from… Know It All."

Reluctantly, Walter disengaged his lips and reached behind himself to pull his phone out of his back pocket.

"I'm sorry. This is Toby. It might be something... something important… about the case."

He quickly swiped a finger across the phone. "Hello, Toby. Have you got something?"

"Wa… Walter. It's… it's Happy. Toby's… we're at Westwood Trauma Care. There's… There was… the car it…."

Paige grabbed the phone from Walter. "Happy," she commanded, "this is Paige. Sit tight, Happy. Walter and I will be right there."

Paige handed the phone back to Walter and quickly stood. "C'mon, Walter, we need to go… now!"

Walter stood and turned to follow her, noting her thrifty movements as she turned off the oven on her way through the kitchen and grabbed her purse from where she'd left it on the floor. It hit him as he got to the top of the stairs. Happy called from a hospital. She was with Toby. There had been some sort of accident. Paige was already at the bottom of the stairs. Walter rushed down to join her and they both ran out the door.

* * *

July 31, 2016 – October 16, 2016


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 _A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work. ~John Lubbock_

* * *

Walter hated hospitals. He'd watched for years while his sister basically lived… and died… in one. He always enjoyed his visits with her but now the whole atmosphere – the bright lights, the décor, the smell – it all brought back to him his sister's final days. He reached over and took Paige's hand. He did it without thinking, and that surprised him as much as the action itself. He took comfort in the contact.

They were sitting in the waiting room, since the nurse at the station refused to allow them to go back to where Toby was. Walter was Toby's emergency contact, but when he told the nurse that, she frowned and told them that Toby's fiancée was with him and they only allowed one person to stay with the patient while they were being treated. She did offer to send word back and see if the fiancée would come out to talk to them.

"I guess… I'm a little surprised that Happy told them she's his fiancée," Paige whispered, gently squeezing his hand. "I'm sure she'll be out here as soon as she can to let us know how he's doing."

"Happy never lies. Something must have changed."

"You think so? You don't think she would just say that in order to stay with him?"

"Happy never lies. She would find another way. If she said she's his fiancée, then she is."

"Walt, Paige!" Happy moved towards them and the two stood up and hurried across the room to meet her. Walter noted the lines of stress and a puffy redness around Happy's eyes. As long as they'd known each other, he'd never seen Happy cry. The only strong emotion he'd ever seen the mechanic exhibit was anger. He imagined how he would feel if Paige were in the back and suddenly realized that whatever Toby might feel for Happy, Happy was truly in love with the behaviorist.

"The doc's gonna be okay," Happy told them, then she collapsed onto a bench set against the wall, leaning over and putting her head between her knees.

"Oh that's good to know!" Paige said as she sat down next to the other woman, placing a hand on her back and taking her wrist. "What about you, Happy?" she inquired in a low voice. "Are you feeling all right? Were you hurt? Should we get a doctor for you?"

Happy looked up and then back down at where Paige was holding her wrist. She jerked her hand away, then sat back against the wall. "I'm sorry Paige, I didn't mean to… I'm okay, I'm just… I've been worried. I never knew this kind of thing could be so exhausting."

Paige smiled and turned to face Happy, nodding. "It is, isn't it? I've spent a couple of bad nights at hospitals with Ralph and you're right, worry is exhausting. But you said Toby is going to be okay, right?"

"Yeah. He's got a broken collar bone and some cuts and bruises. The ER doc says the bone hasn't shifted so it should heal on its own without surgery. They want to keep him overnight, despite the fact that he basically told all the doctors that they're idiots. Seriously, that knuckle head really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut, does he?"

Walter squatted in front of his friend and smiled. "No, no he doesn't. Do you need a ride home, Happy? I'm sure you could use some rest, even if you weren't hurt. I take it Toby's car is…"

"It wasn't Toby's car. It was that experimental car he was driving for the case you guys are on. I can't believe you caught a case about self-driving cars on the only day I'm not around. Seriously? What are the odds?"

"I'm sure Sly can calculate those for you," Walter said. "In the meantime, we should probably get you home." Walter stood up and extended a hand.

"Nah," Happy answered, standing up and waving away the help. "They're taking Toby to his room now. I just came out here to let you know. He'll be in room 517 if you guys want to come up and see him. It's a private room with a couch, so I'll stay overnight here with him. Someone needs to protect the doctors and nurses."

Paige snorted. "Well, okay. If you're sure. Can we bring you anything? Maybe something comfortable to sleep in? A toothbrush?"

"Nope. The nurse said he'd bring me a set of scrubs to sleep in as soon as they get Toby settled and they have disposable toothbrushes and stuff, so I'll be good."

"Okay, then," Paige said. "The least we can do is walk you up there. You look like you might fall down and we're all going to the same place so… let's do it."

* * *

On the way up to the fifth floor, the three did not say much more. Paige got the feeling that, whatever the story behind Happy and Toby's reunion, she didn't want to talk about it. Paige wasn't surprised and she gave Walter a light kick and a look when he started asking questions. All that could wait until Happy had a chance to get a good night's sleep, which, if she was staying in the hospital, wouldn't be for at least a couple of days.

Once they arrived on the ward, Toby was just being settled in. A nurse cautioned them that Paige and Walter would have to leave in ten minutes. He also mentioned that Toby had been given pain medication and would likely be asleep before their ten minutes was up.

The three approached the bed, but Paige pulled Walter back to allow Happy to go first.

"I need to find out what happened to the car," he whispered.

"All that can wait, Walter," Paige replied. "Right now there's no telling what Toby would say anyway. Besides, Happy was there, too. I'm sure she can tell us everything tomorrow."

Walter fell silent. Paige wondered for a moment if Walter would ever learn when it was appropriate to concentrate on a case and when it wasn't.

"Oh, my clavicle!" came a moan from the bed.

"Toby?" Happy bent over the bed and spoke quietly. "You… I told you to let ME drive, nitwit! Next time maybe you'll listen to me?"

"Happy? Happy, is that really you? I'm not… they gave me some really great drugs. Am I hallucinating?"

Toby awkwardly pushed the covers down so that he could free his right arm. He reached over and grabbed Happy's left, bringing her hand up where he could see it.

"Oh crap. I _**am**_ hallucinating. You're wearing it. This must be a dream. Why did I have a dream that we were in a car accident?"

"You're not dreaming, doofus. I told you all about my marriage and then… I agreed to wear the ring while we get things fixed. I sure as hell hope you don't have amnesia, because I'm NOT telling you that whole story again!"

"I… I remember… I think."

Paige leaned closer to Walter. She felt like they were intruding on a private moment and they should leave, but she knew Walter needed to see for himself that Toby was okay. She nudged his shoulder. Walter turned to look at her and she flicked her eyes towards the bed. "Go on," she whispered. "Go see him so we can leave these two alone. And NO questions about the case, okay?"

Walter nodded and moved hesitantly forward. "Uh… Toby?"

Happy moved aside and Walter walked up to the bed. "I'm uh…. glad to see that um… you're going to be okay, buddy."

"One… ninety… seven," Toby said, sleepily. "You see my girl's wearing my ring? T… tell Sly it fits perfect."

Walter looked at Happy and shrugged. "Sure, Toby. I'll tell him. And um… congratulations. I'm…" he glanced back at Paige and she nodded, smiling. "That is… Paige and I are very happy for both of you. I know I've… I haven't always been… in favor of um… workplace relationships, but… I want you to know I'm… well, I'm sure we'll all make things work out." He glanced again at Paige. She lifted one eyebrow, but smiled and pointed towards the door to indicate they should hurry and leave.

"Walt," Toby continued. "The car…"

Paige frowned, hoping Walt would read the warning on her face.

"Don't worry about it, Toby," Walter interrupted, turning briefly to smile at Paige, letting her know he was following her instructions. "We can talk about that later."

"No, Walt… need to tell you. Don't… don't let Happy drive that thing… can't…. can't lose her now."

Happy and Walter exchanged a glance, then Walter turned back and spoke emphatically. "Don't worry, Toby. No one else from Scorpion is going to get hurt in one of those cars. You just rest and get better. We'll find out what… or who… is behind these accidents."

"Good… gonna sleep now…"

Paige walked up and briefly tapped Walter's shoulder. "C'mon, Walter. We should be going. Happy needs to get her rest, too." She reached over and lightly rubbed the other woman's back. "Happy, we'll check in with you two tomorrow. Try to get some sleep, okay?"

Happy gently took the hand that still held hers and tucked it back under the blanket, then turned towards the other two. "Thanks for coming down. I'll give you guys a call in the morning, let you know how the Doc is doing. And… I guess I have a story to tell you, too."

"We need to find out what happened with…" Walter began, but stopped short when Paige tapped his shoulder.

"There's plenty of time for that, Happy," Paige broke in. "You just take care of yourself and Toby. Don't worry about the case or… or whatever it is you… whatever happened. None of that is important right now, right Walter?"

"Uh… right. Of course." Walter shoved his hands in his pockets. "The most important thing right now is that Toby gets better."

Happy smiled and winked at Paige. "Doin' good, Dineen," she said.

Paige winked back and steered Walter out the door.

* * *

October 23, 2016


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 _Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding._

 _~Diane Arbus_

* * *

"Sly said Ralph can stay with him tonight."

Paige was tucking her phone back into her bag when Walter quickly glanced over. "I'm not sure I understand. Aren't you going home?" he asked.

"Nope," she responded, turning in her seat to face him, even though Walter needed to keep his eyes on the road. "Walter… I'm not… suggesting anything by this but… I think I'd like to stay with you tonight. I can make good use of that little stash of toiletries I left with you."

"I… I don't understand. If you're worried that I'm emotionally upset by Toby's accident, I assure you that's not the case. I'm concerned, of course, and I'm somewhat more invested now in determining how these cars are malfunctioning. However, it's clear that Toby's injuries, while distressing, are temporary. He will heal and be back to his normal, obnoxious self in no time." Walter quickly turned and grinned at Paige, then returned his attention to his driving. "At the moment I'm somewhat more concerned for the people tasked with caring for him – especially Happy. I understand doctors make deplorable patients and I suspect Toby will exemplify that axiom."

Paige chuckled. "I'm sure you're right on that. Maybe I just… Look, Walter, I know you may have missed this because you aren't tuned in to emotional cues, but Happy was very close to a basket case when she called and she was just barely holding it together when we got to the hospital – and that was _**after**_ finding out that Toby was going to be okay. I… I realized they've barely been together for a few months and she could very easily have lost him tonight. That got me thinking about the times I could have lost _**you**_ – before I even… before we even got together. It just makes me want to spend as much time as we can together because… with the jobs we have… it could all be over so quickly. I know that's a bit melodramatic and I know I'm presuming a bit, but I just think I'll sleep better with you… that is not _**with**_ you, but at least under the same roof. Just for tonight. Please?"

Walter took a deep breath. He had no idea how he should respond to what Paige was suggesting. She made it clear that she was not proposing any intimate activity, and he found he was relieved by that. At the same time, he found himself wishing she _**was**_ suggesting something… more. He recalled what they were doing earlier that evening – recalled it in vivid detail, to the point that he could feel her lips on his and he remembered the sensation of her full breasts compressed against his chest. She'd been busily working her fingers under his shirt and he nearly groaned wondering what it would have felt like to have them dancing across his bare skin. He shook his head. His best friend was in the hospital. How could he be having thoughts like this? To say nothing of how distracting they were. _Keep this up, O'Brien, and Toby won't be the only member of Scorpion in a car wreck today!_

"I um…" he began, aching to face her, but knowing that he needed to keep his eyes straight ahead. If he looked at her now he would surely make unsuitable propositions in response to her innocent request. "I think that would be acceptable," he continued. "However, I see no need for you not to sleep with me. The bed is much more comfortable than my couch – unless you're ten years old which you… um… of course… are not. And um… we already have slept together."

He stole a quick glance at her. Apparently, even when he wasn't looking at her, he still made what bordered on inappropriate suggestions. His words masked his proposal as completely innocent, but he knew that, having Paige in his bed when he wasn't incapacitated would be a challenge in self-control. He wanted her there, not just sleeping, but actively engaged in fantasies he'd only recently admitted to himself that he even had. Still, if she needed him close, he was determined to allow her that closeness. Even if it might cost him.

"I… I didn't realize you knew that." She said. "You were pretty zonked on pain-killers."

"I… I woke up… sometime in the middle of the night. I guess you must have been really exhausted because you didn't even move. I… I went to the bathroom and when I got back I thought about sleeping on the couch but… the truth is I very much enjoyed… having you… with me. I would like to… to have that again."

Even with the painkillers wearing off, his enjoyment of having Paige in his bed the night after their return from Tahoe bordered on uncomfortable. He'd considered getting up and moving to the couch, but he'd been unable to make himself leave her. He also considered getting up and taking a shower, but he realized how exhausted Paige must be and didn't want to disturb her. He wasn't in pain anymore – not from his nose anyway – but he'd taken another of the pills just for the release it would give him.

Walter signaled a turn and slowed to ease the Malibu around the corner. "I can still take you home if… if you want," he said. "I mean if this changes things for you."

Paige wasn't saying anything and there was too much traffic for Walter to turn and look. Not that he would likely be able to tell much. He thought he was making some progress in reading facial expressions and body language – especially in those he cared for. But this was too important to depend on his fledgling abilities. He needed her to tell him clearly how she felt.

"It doesn't change a thing," she said.

* * *

Walter lay rigid, the sheet and blanket pulled up to his chin, his arms lying still by his sides. He was staring at the ceiling, not daring to turn in either direction. If he turned away from Paige, would she think he was avoiding her? Or worse, that he did not want her in his bed after all, that he was unable to deal with her need for comfort? If he turned towards her, would she think he was making advances he'd agreed not to?

Walter did not understand emotions. He understood that what he felt for Paige was real. He loved her. He also understood that with that emotion came other feelings he wasn't familiar with and didn't know how to manage. Like the feeling that he wanted to gather her close and spend the night with his arms wrapped around her, just giving her comfort and reveling in her closeness. Or the feeling that he wanted to explore every inch of her, discovering everything that would make her tremble until she was wrapped around him in a coupling that would end with both of them shaking. He didn't understand why he could imagine that so vividly. It wasn't something he'd ever experienced with the few women he'd been with before. He was certain, however, that sex with Paige would surpass all his previous encounters.

Now was not the time to be thinking about that, though. Paige asked to spend the night with him for comfort – not to consummate their relationship. Besides, wasn't that a step they should discuss beforehand? He had yet to even ask her on any of those dates he'd contemplated. Weren't there social conventions about going on a certain number of dates before sex?

He knew Paige was laying on the other side of the bed, probably just as uncomfortably stiff as he. There was one thing he thought he could manage. It was something he'd done before – long before he knew he loved her. It was something he enjoyed and found soothing himself. Slowly, he edged a hand in her direction. He found her fingers and wrapped them in his own.

"Paige?" he whispered, not sure why he was keeping his voice low.

"Yes," she answered, squeezing his fingers.

"I um… I guess you're still awake?"

"Walter," she sighed. "I should go sleep on the couch or maybe just go home. You're not comfortable and you'll never get any sleep this way."

She threw off the covers and swung her legs off the bed, but Walter held on to her hand.

"Wait, Paige. I'm not… I'm not… uncomfortable." He held up their hands as she turned back. He couldn't really see her face in the dim room, since the only light seeped in through the windows behind her. "At least… I'm not uncomfortable about this, about having you here. I want you here. I want you with me."

Paige rolled back onto the bed and lay on her side, facing him. Walter recalled something Toby told him about mirroring. He turned towards her. Mirroring was supposed to be subconscious, but Walter felt excessively conscious of every move he made.

"Walter, you're lying here as stiff as a… as a mummy or something. I shouldn't have asked this of you, especially under the circumstances. I know you need time to get used to us… to us being together. You're used to living alone and being alone. It's too soon for me to spend the night. I should go home."

He let her finish what she wanted to say. He still held her hand, and while he'd never hold her against her will, he didn't want her to leave, either.

"Paige. You're right – I'm not completely comfortable. But it's not because I don't want you here, or because I'm not… because I need any more time to adjust to being with you." He took a breath. Paige was patiently waiting for him to explain, but he wasn't sure how to do that. Walter wasn't usually embarrassed. Generally, what he said and did was grounded in logic and was therefore nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I'm not comfortable because… because I want more."

Paige remained silent and Walter began to wonder if he was going to need to clarify his statement – graphically.

"I guess you're not talking about… cuddling?" Paige suggested.

"No."

Walter was suddenly glad the room was dim. He could feel his face flaming. He knew it was common – even expected – for men in relationships to have these sorts of feelings. His observations of Toby – before Happy – told him that many men had these feelings about women they passed on the street or saw on the television. But he'd never had those feelings and always assumed he was simply immune to them. He'd engaged in sex out of curiosity – wanting to know what it was like. While the culmination was undeniably pleasant, he'd had to pretty much force himself to get there. Now he found himself exercising every bit of his self-control _**not**_ to leap in where he'd never before had any desire to go.

"I… I know it's not appropriate. You said you just wanted comfort, but Paige, I'm afraid if I touch you… I'll… I'll do things."

The shadowy outline of the woman he loved shifted, and he sensed that she was moving closer. Close enough that he got a whiff of the light scent of lavender that was now indelibly identified as "Paige" in his brain. This wasn't helping him maintain control.

"You're assuming that I don't want you to… do things?"

He could swear she was purring. The fingers he held in his turned and her thumb lightly stroked his palm.

"I… of course not. You're… distressed… about Toby. I… I shouldn't…"

"Walter," Paige shuffled a little closer. They were nearly nose to nose. "I've been waiting for almost a year for you to… well, for us to get where we are. If you're having feelings, believe me – I'm having them, too. I've had them since we had that little talk in the weather balloon – and probably before that, too." She reached out a hand and briefly cupped his chin before settling on his shoulder. "As to Toby, yes, I'm distressed that he's been hurt; but it doesn't mean my feelings for you are somehow turned off, and yours probably aren't, either. If anything, dealing with emotional stress can sometimes heighten those feelings. When people are faced with the reality that life eventually comes to an end, often they are moved by feelings that are all about affirming life. It's not wrong to pursue those feelings – as long as you pursue them with someone who is willing. And Walter, I am very willing."

Walter wasn't sure how he should respond. Should he kiss her? Wrap his arms around her, and hold her? She'd borrowed one of his t-shirts to sleep in, and when she'd walked from the bathroom to the bed earlier that evening, he'd been treated to seeing the outline of her unencumbered breasts beneath the white cotton. Imagining the feel of those breasts against his chest nearly broke him.

"If you're…" Paige continued. "If you're still not… quite ready. It's okay. I just need you to know that I'm okay with…"

Walter rolled forward across the small space that separated them and pressed his lips to hers. He wrapped is free arm around her back and pulled her forward. She gasped into his mouth. He could feel the slight puff of air and it reminded him of the life-breath she'd given him at Chernobyl. It was one of many times they'd worked together to survive. They _**had**_ survived. Walter experienced an adrenalin rush that could have been from the memory of that case, or it could just be from having Paige in his arms… in his bed… willing and… Wait… she did say she was willing? His normally organized brain suddenly wasn't completely sure he remembered that correctly. He forced himself to pull away. The separation was almost painful and he could swear he heard Paige whimper.

"Paige…I…" He looked closely into her face, willing her to open her eyes. He couldn't always read her face, but he'd know if there was any hesitation in her eyes, even in the gloom.

"Walter? Why did you stop?"

She was looking at him now. He'd seen that look many times. He'd always assumed in the past that it showed concern, or simple caring. He wondered if he'd been wrong all this time. He knew Paige loved him – was that what that look meant?

"Paige, I need to know… absolutely… with no possibility of misunderstanding. Do you want to do this?"

"Yes, I do want to," came the immediate answer.

"You know that I don't always get clues, or… or underlying meanings. So I need to ask this very clearly. Paige Dineen, do you want to have sex with me?"

Paige smiled. Walter supposed it wasn't the norm for potential lovers to be blunt. The smile vanished and Paige grew very serious. He knew she must be sensing his mood, even if he still wasn't usually very attuned to hers.

"Walter O'Brien," she said, speaking clearly and carefully enunciating each word. "I love you. I _**do**_ want to have sex with you. If it is something you want to, then I want to have sex with you tonight. Although I would appreciate it if we could maybe call it something else – like making love. I know that might seem an unnecessarily romantic term for what I'm sure you consider a basic biologic function, but…"

Walter put a finger over her lips. "No. It's not unnecessary. It is about… about love. Because I love you so much."

"Well, if you love me, don't keep me waiting."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm evil. But today is my birthday and as my birthday present to my reviewers and followers, I've got Chapter 13 almost done and I will be posting it this weekend. It will be rated M. ;)**

* * *

November 12, 2016


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M. If that's not your thing, or if you're supposed to be too young to know about this stuff, go on to the next chapter. I promise you won't be missing any major plot points. This is a LONG sucker – over 7,700 words. I thought about splitting it into two chapters but after the ending I left on the last chapter, I figured readers would come looking for me if I did something like that again. Enjoy!**

 **This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 _Sex is emotion in motion. ~Mae West_

* * *

" _Well, if you love me, don't keep me waiting."_

The speed with which Walter returned to kissing her made Paige grunt in surprise. She hoped her clear assurances put aside any lingering hesitation he might have. If he stopped again she wasn't sure she would hold on to her patience. Walter O'Brien required a lot of patience, and she knew that wasn't going to end tonight – or probably ever. But if the toe-curling feeling she got from his kisses was any indication, it would be well worth it.

Even with their mouths closed, there was an electric quality to Walter's kissing that sent shivers through her. When he stroked her upper lip with his tongue, she was more than willing to deepen the kiss. She remembered what it was like… even without the sure knowledge of where the kiss would lead. Paige suspected that if she was standing right now, as she was those many months ago, her knees would buckle under her. Had other men ever kissed her like this? She didn't think so. She wondered what Walter might think if he realized how much she was analyzing their kiss. She didn't really think his technique was better than Drew's. It probably was better than that guy from sixth grade that she'd kissed during a game of Spin the Bottle, whose name she couldn't even remember. On the other hand, Walter really didn't match Tim. The Navy Seal, she had to admit, had serious skills. But skill only went so far. She had feelings for Walter that were no match to what she'd felt with any other man.

Walter was a curious combination of timid and eager. She couldn't imagine loving him more than she did, but the tenderness and enthusiasm that were already a hallmark of his lovemaking made her heart melt. She was going to enjoy being loved by this genius.

While all of this was going through her mind, Walter was doing his best to surround every part of her with part of him. He let go of her hand and felt his way up her arm to her shoulder and further to entwine his fingers in her hair. His other arm pulled her tightly to him, while one leg stretched across hers, his foot stroking hers and urging full contact all the way down to their toes. Paige was on board for all of it. She wanted to feel every inch of him against every inch of her. Suddenly, she realized that she wanted that contact to be skin-to-skin and it wasn't. Her own free arm was latched around his waist, so she reached down with that hand to grasp the edge of his shirt and pull it up. Their tongues were busy exploring, but Walter immediately understood what Paige wanted and pulled back again, raising his arms so that Paige could pull the shirt over his head and off. She tossed it aside. Before he could surround her again, she pushed his leg off hers and maneuvered herself into a kneeling position. Smiling down at Walter, she winked and attempted what she hoped was a smoldering look. She certainly felt as though the atmosphere in the room was seething with their combined desire.

She crossed her arms to grasp either side of her own shirt and lift it slowly and seductively over her head. She had no idea if Walter had any appreciation for these moves, but they made her feel sexy and enticing. The shirt fell to the floor and Paige briefly wondered if they would be able to tell in the morning whose shirt was whose.

Deciding to go for broke, she rose up higher, spread her knees slightly and pushed her panties down to her thighs.

Walter gasped. "Uh…"

"Too much?" Paige asked nervously.

"N…no. Not… I… um… should probably… um… too."

Paige almost laughed at a Walter rendered incoherent. But then he scrambled to his knees as well. He was wearing a loose pair of gym shorts with a draw string tied at the waist. His hands fumbled with the strings, but instead of untying them, he managed to get them hopelessly knotted. She could see his fingers shake as he tried in vain to pick the knot. She reached a hand over and laid it on top of his, trying to calm him down,

"Hey… it's okay. There's no hurry."

"No… it's… I can get it," he stated. After another moment his hands stilled and he looked up at her. Beneath her fingers she felt him tightly grasp the string on either side of the knot and with one yank, it broke. He quickly slid the pants down, sitting back down to get them off his legs and threw them off the bed.

Paige couldn't help glancing down. Walter was sitting cross-legged on the bed. His penis lay not quite flaccid but not fully erect either. Another shiver passed through her as she realized that within a very short time he would be buried inside her. The tingling in her belly that started with his kisses rapidly moved further down. Paige leaned over to kiss him, but Walter stopped her.

"Paige. We should talk about… protection. Because I um… I don't have any." He looked stricken, as if this was the end of the world. Then he suddenly brightened. "There's the all-night drug store a few blocks away – I could go out really quickly. It wouldn't take…"

"It's okay, Walter," Paige assured him, lowering herself down from her kneeling position and sitting cross-legged herself. She reached over and took his hands in hers. "I don't think we really need anything. I've been on the pill for years." Walter seemed confused and Paige went on. "It's not for birth control, although it will still work for that, too. So we don't have to worry about me getting pregnant. I haven't been with anyone since Drew. So, if you trust me, I swear I don't have any diseases that we'll need protection from."

Walter stroked her thumbs with his. "I trust you completely, Paige. You should know… I've… I've been with… there was a woman I was involved with. Actually I broke up with her the day I met you in the diner. Toby… being Toby… somehow knew when she and I… when we became intimate. He insisted I get tested. The tests were negative."

"That's… that's good to know, Walter. But I trust you, too. I know you would never do this if you thought there was any chance it would… that I would be hurt. If for no other reason than you've risked your life for mine too many times to risk my life now."

Walter grinned. The grin turned into a chuckle. "That's um… that's very logical reasoning."

"Thank you. I also know you love me. That may not be logical, but it's a much more powerful argument. I trust you completely."

"So how do we um… get past this awkward part back to what we were doing?" he teased.

Paige smiled, leaned over and kissed him. Her hands, still clasped around his, pressed down into the mattress between his knees so she wouldn't topple over. As the kiss deepened, Walter eased backward onto the pillows and stretched his legs out. He released her hands to wrap his arms around her, drawing her down onto his chest. One of Paige's hands brushed lightly against Walter's cock, which twitched in response. She decided to pursue the accidental contact and wrapped her hand around his shaft. He grunted and shuddered.

She really didn't want to interrupt their kissing again, but if Walter was uncomfortable with what she was doing, she needed to know. She pulled away, but kept her hand where it was.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Only if you want us to roll over and go to sleep in about ten minutes," he answered sheepishly.

Paige lifted her hand as if she was holding a hot iron. "Oh… well…. okay then. I guess I'll find something else to do with my hands then."

"Paige, what do you um… what do _**you**_ like? I've done some… some reading and I know there are things that women like to um… to do. But I also know that each woman is different and what is great for some is… not… for others. Since we've never talked about this, I really have no idea what I should do. And I really want this to make you... happy."

"Oh… well," Paige thought a moment. No one ever actually asked her what she liked. She knew… or at least she thought she knew. She felt sort of shy about talking about it, though.

"I like kissing, of course."

"I gathered that," Walter smiled.

"I also like um… anything you want to do with… my breasts. Like you can touch them. Or even better, suck on them. If that's okay."

"Noted."

"And um…" Paige could feel her cheeks turn to fire. Based on the discussions that got them to this point she knew Walter was unlikely to try something if she didn't tell him she wanted it. Which meant she would have to come out and say it. "I um…" she hesitated. As close as they had become in over two years, there were still things she was reluctant to say to him.

"Would you like me to… to go down on you?"

Paige let out the breath she was holding. "Yes… but only if you're okay with it."

"It's not a problem, but, I've never actually done it so… you may need to let me know if I'm getting it right."

Paige thought about that. She wasn't sure about having Walter go there if he was completely inexperienced. On the other hand, if she ever wanted to have that again, there had to be a first time for him. It wasn't as though she could get him a doll to practice on. She couldn't stop a giggle as she realized there probably _**was**_ such a thing.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"Oh… nothing." She giggled again. "I was just thinking of practice dolls."

"I'm not sure I understand…. and I don't think I want to."

Walter tightened his arms around her and rolled them over, until she was back on her side. "While you're thinking about that…" he said. Then he was kissing her again, his tongue entwining with hers. After a moment, he broke away and kissed her chin, working across one side and down the column of her throat. When he began kissing the area along her collar bone, Paige felt his curls tickling her earlobe and she giggled again. Walter looked up.

"You laugh a lot," he commented. "It's okay - but I just want to be sure it's not because of something I'm doing that's… odd."

"No… no. It's just… your hair tickles."

"I see. Would you like me to shave my head?"

Paige realized that if she said yes, he would probably do it. "Walter, this is a partnership, not a dictatorship. This can't be just about what I want. As much as you want to make me happy, I want to make you happy just that much. So don't think you have to do things you don't want to do or that you can't ask me to do things you want me to do."

"It um…" he kissed her collar bone again and then licked the little hollow underneath. "It might take me a while to get used to that idea, but I'll try."

Paige thought about asking him if there was something he would like, but then her brain froze as Walter licked the nipple of one breast while at the same time he cupped the other breast in his hand and moved his thumb in little circles. Both nipples quickly hardened and Paige arched up off the bed as the stimulation caused a throbbing in her core. She felt the dampness that was the real beginnings of her arousal. Walter licked several times around her nipple, then opened his mouth and surrounded it, sucking and alternating between flicks and gentle strokes with his tongue. Paige knew she was incredibly sensitive to this sort of thing, but she didn't remember ever feeling like this so quickly. Maybe it was just because it had been so long. Whatever was happening, it was happening fast and Paige barely remembered not to dig her fingernails into Walter. She dropped her hands to the bed, grabbing the blanket and sheet that were bunched up under her as she rose up off the bed and began to pant. She was incredibly close and part of her wanted Walter inside her RIGHT NOW!

As if he could read her mind, the hand that had been occupied with a breast moved down and he inserted a finger inside her. Reaching up, he stroked, moving around to different spots until Paige jerked and twitched. Although they were still wrapped around her breast, she could feel Walter's lips curve up in a slight smile as he inserted a second finger and continued to stroke THAT… SPOT… AND…

"Ohhhh!" she cried. Paige felt herself come apart. For a moment, she felt was if she was disconnected from her body, floating somewhere above where she could see Walter release her breast, gently kiss the side of it, then move over to kiss the other one. He gave her one more stroke before removing his fingers. Then he moved up to the head of the bed where he kissed her temple, then her nose and then placed a very light kiss on her lips before settling back and kissing her shoulder.

"I didn't realize you would be so easy."

"I'm sorry… wh…what? What do you mean by that?" Paige asked, indignant.

"I just…" Walter sputtered. "I just mean that… I've heard that it can be difficult to bring a woman to orgasm, but that seemed to be um… relatively easy. Was that the wrong thing to say?"

Paige found herself laughing again. "Oh, Walter! When you call a woman "easy" it means something… well, sort of related, but entirely different!"

"Oh…. Oh! I didn't mean…"

"I know you didn't. At least _**now**_ I know you didn't" she teased, turning on her side and kissing him soundly. "In case you didn't know, that was amazing."

"Is it usually that um…"

"Easy?" she finished for him. "Actually, no. Do that to my breasts and you will usually get me ready fast, but I've never come before from just that. Although what you were doing with your fingers at the same time probably really put it over the top. Be sure to remember that for the future, okay?"

"I will be sure to… file that information away. Do you… do you need some time to recover?"

"Well, some. Maybe there's something you would like?"

Walter maneuvered one arm underneath her and drew her close, tucking her head into his shoulder and kissing her hair. "What you said about… wanting me to go down on you?"

"You want me to return the favor?"

"Well… not right now. And probably not tonight. But at some point… if you would be willing… I'd like to try it."

"You've never…?"

"No. My past experience, as you may have realized, is somewhat… limited."

Paige tilted her head up and kissed him just below his earlobe. "Well, we have lots of time to expand your horizons," she whispered.

"You're assuming this relationship will be long-lasting, perhaps even life-long?" Walter turned slightly so they could face each other.

"Well, of course. Aren't you?"

"Statistically the chances aren't very good. The majority of relationships - and about half of all marriages – end. Part of my reluctance to enter into a relationship with you is based on that high rate of failure. Given my past history and lack of experience – not just with sex, but in general – the likelihood is that I will make a mistake that will be irreparable."

"Or maybe I will," Paige protested. "I'm not perfect, Walter, and I know you aren't either. But aside from hurting Ralph intentionally, which I know you would never do, or cheating on me, which I'm pretty confident won't happen, I can't think of anything you could do that would be 'irreparable'. So unless _**you**_ break up with _**me**_ , I'm here for the long haul."

"I… cannot envision any scenario that would cause me to terminate our relationship either."

"Good. Now should I get used to all this talk every time we make love?" Paige leaned over and kissed him, hoping he would take the hint that she was ready to get on with it. She realized it wasn't so bad talking about what they each liked and didn't like, but she hoped she wouldn't have to verbally direct things every time.

"I believe this falls under the category of 'pillow talk'," he retorted.

Suddenly, Walter was on his knees, grasping her by the waist and pulling her down towards the foot of the bed. Paige squeaked. He swung one leg over her, straddling her waist. Then he leaned over and lightly kissed the tip of her nose, then her lips and her chin. Paige reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, but Walter gently removed them and moved further down. Paige was acutely aware that Walter's cock was positioned just above her entrance. But since he was still only partially erect, she supposed she would have to wait. She had an idea of what sort of waiting game Walter had planned for her, and given his exhibition of natural abilities – or sheer luck - earlier, she was eagerly anticipating his next moves.

Walter placed a hand on either side of each breast, and pushed them together. Leaning over, he moved from side to side, sucking first the left, then the right, then back to the left. Paige could already feel the tension building. Walter abandoned her breasts and moved his activities further down, placing his hands on either side of her waist and working a trail of kisses across her belly, pausing to lightly suck on her navel. Paige bucked at that, not because it was a terribly sensitive spot for her, but because she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she had Walter right where she wanted him.

He pushed himself further back. She wanted to raise her knees so that she could spread her legs far apart, allowing him access, but his knees on either side of her calves kept her pinned. He stroked her belly, tracing lines on it with his fingertips. He bent down again and placed a kiss just at the apex of her thighs, then she felt his tongue probing, working its way up the narrow slit until it found her clit.

Paige thought she would blast through the ceiling. With her legs tightly together, when Walter flicked his tongue it was like the little nub was being stroked on several sides at once. She stretched her arms out, wanting to grasp his head, although she wasn't sure if she wanted to hold him in place or make him stop – just for a minute. Without the support of the pillows, though, she found she couldn't reach him – not with all her energy focused on the amazing sensations being lavished on her by Mister I Haven't Done This Before. Yikes! If this was what he did when he didn't know what he was doing, what would happen when he had a little practice?

Paige didn't care. If she was fated to die a happy woman, so be it.

Then Walter's amazing tongue was gone. The small part of her brain that wasn't totally intent on life between her thighs realized that she had just growled. GROWLED! A deep chuckle came from the end of the bed and Paige opened one eye to watch a curly head bobbing back and forth, kissing her thighs. Then he got up on his knees, grasped each of her legs and pulled them up, laying them down again to either side so that she was intimately exposed. The cool air hitting her now very wet center made her shiver.

"Okay so far?" Walter asked.

She nodded her head vigorously.

"Good."

The next moment, the tongue was back, only this time, it made one long swipe, starting very low and moving slowly all the way up, pausing to make one quick foray into her entrance, but stopping just before it reached her throbbing clit. He made a few more long sweeps like that and Paige was ready to scream in frustration.

"Walter!"

He jerked his head up. "Is… is something wrong?"

Paige opened her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts. She needed to word this carefully. "It's just… there's only so much I can take before it… it becomes… uncomfortable. The long and slow is great but that works better when you're getting started. Now I need you to just… just finish."

"Right. Okay."

Walter bent down again. Paige waited, hoping she hadn't completely bruised his ego. He might not ever want to do this again if he felt he'd botched it, and the truth was, he actually did very well. He just got the order of things mixed up a little. When he made a tentative flick at her clit with his tongue, she moaned, hoping he would take it as a sign that all was forgiven. He flicked again, and she twisted, fisting the sheets in her hands. He needed to get moving! She was right on the edge and it was almost agonizing! Finally, he began a rapid fire of flicks, interspersing them with occasional broad flat sweeps of his tongue – only this time he made it all the way up so that the sensation was almost soothing to her throbbing flesh. She wanted it SO bad and she was SO close. She just needed a little something more…

And then he got it. The genius inserted two fingers and went back to the spot he'd discovered earlier. With his tongue flicking on top and his fingers stroking deep inside, Paige sailed over the edge into oblivion.

* * *

It felt like hours before Paige came back down to Earth. She didn't remember how it happened, but she was snuggled in Walter's arms. He was stroking her arm and alternating between nuzzling her hair and kissing her temple.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

Paige sighed. "I'm very, very okay."

"Tell me what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything _**wrong**_ , Walter."

"To quote Toby," Walter pressed his lips together and made a derisive noise.

Paige laughed. "Okay, first, I love Toby. But I really don't want him sharing our bed. So if we could please minimize the references to our friendly doctor, it would be greatly appreciated."

"I can accept that condition. Provided you agree not to mention Cabe in similar circumstances."

"I haven't mentioned Cabe once tonight!"

"True. You haven't. I'm just asking that should he cross your mind, you refrain from mentioning it. Cabe is… very important to me. But it would be a bit like you talking about my father. It would be… intimidating."

Paige chuckled. "Okay, agreed. I won't mention Cabe and you won't mention Toby. Anyone else off limits?"

Walter was quiet a moment. Then he said, "We should probably avoid mentioning past… involvements. I'm not saying we should never discuss them. Certainly if you have any questions or anything you would like to know we can talk about it – just not in bed."

"I think that's a good idea," Paige agreed.

"Now quite stalling and tell me what I did wrong."

"Walter," Paige hoped again that she could say this in a way that wouldn't deflate Walter's ego. "Everything you did was wonderful, it just… you need to start with the slow part and build up to the fast. I'm not a Maserati that you can take from zero to sixty in four-point-nine seconds."

"So next time, I should basically reverse the order of execution?"

"Um… right… I think. Does that mean you're okay with a next time?"

Walter turned over and Paige duplicated his actions. Despite the awkward nature of the conversation, she was glad they could talk about it.

"I'm okay with it, Paige, if you are. If anything, I'm rather anxious to try again and see if I can get it right!"

Paige nearly snorted. "Oh Walter! You are such a perfectionist! Even with something like this, that has absolutely nothing to do with your incredible brain, you need to be the very best!"

"Does that… does that bother you?"

Paige reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "Of course not. It's one of your best qualities. I'm just amused to see that it extends to literally everything you do." She kissed him. I hit her suddenly that she could kiss him now whenever she felt like it – or almost. She couldn't be sure, but she suspected Walter was not a fan of public displays. But she also suspected they would be spending a lot more private time together now. "Besides," she grinned mischievously. "I'm going to enjoy being your practice doll!"

"You're… you're not a doll, Paige."

"It was a joke, Walter."

Paige tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. With Walter only inches away, it was impossible to hide it from him.

"You're tired. We should go to sleep now."

"No, it's okay, Walter. I don't want to go to sleep yet."

"You yawned, indicating that your core brain temperature is high. Core brain temperature rises when you're tired or bored or ill. Either of those conditions preclude continuing our… activities. And while I sincerely hope you aren't ill I… I also hope… that you aren't bored."

Paige giggled. She was tired, and she was also feeling very, very satisfied. Both of those situations made her more susceptible to fits of giggling. She wasn't normally a giggler, but it was something that used to really bother Drew, when she would suddenly start giggling insanely after sex. She could never get him to understand that it had nothing to do with him.

"I'm definitely not bored. But it's not fair. I've been… to the moon and back tonight, but you still haven't…"

"It's not… it's not a problem, Paige."

" _ **I**_ think it's a problem. If I try to go to sleep now, knowing we haven't… finished… I won't be able to sleep right. Unless… is there… some other problem?" Paige's voice quavered. Had she done something to turn him away from her? "Do you not want to anymore?"

"No, Paige." Walter took her hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed her palm. "I still want… this. I still want you… so much. But insisting that we keep going when you obviously need to sleep that's… it… it feels like abuse. I will never abuse you, Paige."

Paige was stunned. Of all the things she would never think could happen, the idea that Walter would abuse a woman was very high on the list. The only thing she could think of that would be higher was the idea that he would abuse a child. Despite his undeniable ability to kick butt when the situation called for it, Walter's was one of the gentlest souls she'd ever known. She could never allow him to think he was abusing her – even if it was only in his own head.

"All… all right then. We'll… we'll go to sleep. Do you… should we get our clothes?"

"I'm fine like this unless it bothers you. Would you like me to find your things?'

"No… I'm okay. It's not like anyone's going to come in here."

"Good then."

Walter sat up and grabbed the sheet and blankets from where they'd been pushed to the bottom of the bed. He quickly arranged the covers over Paige, then lay down beside her, pulled the sheet and blanket up to his chin and stared at the ceiling.

Paige yawned again. She really was very tired. But it was a really good tired. She supposed if you wanted to be completely technical, she and Walter still hadn't fully taken that next step in their relationship, but it was going to happen, and soon. They wouldn't have many nights like this. Paige didn't feel she should have Walter stay overnight, even if Ralph was their biggest cheerleader. And while she could occasionally allow Ralph to stay overnight with Sly or Happy and Toby, it wasn't something she wanted to do often, just to satisfy her desire to spend a night with Walter. On the other hand, she wasn't going to waste a rare opportunity sleeping on opposite sides of Walter's bed.

"Walter?" she whispered. "Are you asleep yet?"

"No."

"Are you… does it make you uncomfortable… having me here?"

Walter turned over quickly.

"No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, you're lying like a mummy again."

"I'm… sorry. How should I lie?"

"After a couple makes love, they usually like to… hold each other… while they go to sleep."

"Okay, then." Walter began to wiggle closer.

"But… but only if you really want to," Paige blurted.

Walter sighed, gathering Paige into his arms. She resisted slightly, wanting to be sure she wasn't talking him into doing something outside his comfort zone.

"Paige, you need to stop assuming that simply because I do not initiate activity that is deemed _**normal**_ that it is automatically something that I do not want to do. I am not _**normal**_. I will often not be familiar with what normal people do. But I have found that there are many things I do have in common with normal people. I enjoy good food, and the occasional movie. I even enjoy popular music. I discovered I enjoy these things simply by doing them. In like manner, I will not know if I enjoy holding you while I sleep until I do it. I will say that so far, holding you for any reason at all has been most enjoyable. So I feel confident that this will be no different."

Paige relaxed and nestled close to Walter, breathing in the scent of him. She placed a light kiss below his collar bone before resting her head there and wrapping an arm across his chest. She felt Walter tighten his arm around her and drop a kiss on her head.

"I love you, Paige," was the last thing she heard before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Paige woke, bright sunshine was filtering through the large warehouse windows. She knew the windows were equipped with blinds, but apparently they'd forgotten to lower them last night. She lifted her head carefully, not wanting to disturb Walter. She wondered what time it was, but realized it was unlikely that Walter would have something as antiquated as an alarm clock.

"It's about seven o'clock. Good morning."

Paige whipped her head back to the man she thought was still sleeping. "You're awake!"

"I've been awake for over an hour. I can report on the results of my experiment last night."

"Experiment?" Paige frowned, wondering what Walter could be talking about. Did he see last night as just an experiment?

"Yes. I cannot actually determine if I enjoyed sleeping with you in my arms, as I was asleep and not aware of any pleasure or lack. I can report that I slept very well and deeply, which indicates that I was, at minimum, not uncomfortable with the circumstances."

Paige began to sputter. Only Walter could take this so seriously. She wouldn't be at all surprised to get an e-mail later today with a detailed report.

"I have, however, spent the past approximately 85 minutes lying here holding you while you slept and I can say that I enjoyed that very much, despite the fact that it keeps me from my normal morning work."

Paige couldn't help it, "But did you find it _**efficient**_?"

Walter grinned. Paige was glad to know he was beginning to understand when she was teasing him. "Actually, it was quite efficient. Not only was I able to ascertain a definitive answer to the question of whether I enjoy holding you; it produced another… significant… development that should allow us to successfully complete the enterprise in which we were engaged last evening."

Confused, Paige playfully swatted the genius. "You're doing that on purpose!"

"Sauce for the goose," Walter quipped. "You were teasing me in regard to my… penchant… for efficiency, so I tease you in return by couching my response in… scientific uh… jargon."

"Great. So would you care to translate for the non-genius in the room?"

Walter turned slightly to face her. "Holding you, Paige, is and will always be a very efficient use of my time. Not only do I enjoy it, but it also produces oxytocin which lowers blood pressure and anxiety and lowers cortisol and stress. Those factors produce more restful sleep, which will make me more efficient throughout the uh… workday ahead."

He brought a hand up to her face, his fingers cupping her chin while his thumb stroked her cheek. Then he leaned in and kissed her. Within moments Paige was feeling the familiar mild throbbing that was accentuated when Walter began to gently massage her breast, using one finger to tease the nipple.

He rose up, breaking the kiss. "If you are… sufficiently rested… I believe it best if I… show you that 'significant development'."

Paige nodded, wanting nothing more than for Walter to resume kissing her… and maybe other things. He edged over and moved one leg between hers. She felt his warm cock against her thigh and wondered how long he'd been holding her and developing a 'significant' erection while she slept. She opened her legs wide, already anticipating the final culmination when they would be fully joined.

"Paige, I…" Walter was almost panting. "I… need…"

Paige wondered how he went so quickly from what seemed to be calm banter to near incoherent, but supposed it had something to do with what must have been a very frustrating night – and an apparently long morning - for him.

"I need to get you ready, Paige. What's the fastest way?"

Walter kissed her again, his lips and tongue projecting his urgency. Paige had to push his face away so she could answer. "Mouth… breast… fingers… like yesterday," she said.

Walter's eyes widened as if he was only now remembering his very successful efforts of the day before. Paige knew his memory worked better than that… at least under normal circumstances. Within moments she was barely capable of coherent thought herself as Walter's mouth lavished attention on her breast. One hand dealt with the other breast while two fingers found their way unerringly up inside her to the exact spot. She supposed that might be one of the advantages of being with a man with an eidetic memory. Now that he'd found the spot, he knew exactly how to find it again. For a moment, she wondered if he had it filed somewhere in his mental version of Google maps. The thought nearly launched another giggling fit, but she managed to squelch it.

"You're… very wet," Walter commented unnecessarily, before moving over to her other breast.

"Walter, I get that you're being very considerate, and I love you for it, but it's not always necessary for you to make me come first. I'm very, very ready and I want you inside me, NOW!"

He looked up again at that. "Are you sure?"

"I'm SURE Walter! Please!"

Walter removed his fingers and maneuvered himself so that he was positioned between her thighs. The look on his face was very much like the look he got when he was calculating complex formulas. Paige was wondering if Walter's plan was to kill her with anticipation, when she finally felt the head of his shaft rubbing against her clit. Walter nibbled and sucked on her earlobe while he guided himself through her moist slit and across the sensitive nub several times. Then finally he was slowly pushing in. Paige didn't think she could be any slicker, any more ready, but it had been a very, very long time. She was tight but the sensation as he filled her was amazing.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too," she responded, raising her hips until she felt that he was buried deep within her. He pulled out until he was nearly gone. Paige raised her knees so that she could gain leverage. She felt Walter lower his hips before his next thrust. She wasn't sure what he was trying to do until she felt him glide against the exact spot his fingers found before. Good God was he good! When he pulled out again and the incoming thrust stroked the spot again, it became clear that he was doing this on purpose. He started going faster and although the increased speed diminished his accuracy, Paige thought he was managing to hit the spot better than three-fourths of the time.

It was quickly driving her over the edge.

She moved her hips up and down, matching his thrusts. It took a while for them to get into a matching rhythm. Paige was panting with each thrust.

"Sweetheart, come for me. Please," he begged.

Responding to his plea, Paige used her own hand to massage the nipple of one breast. It always worked in the past, but without both hands on the mattress for leverage, she couldn't move her hips as well. She would have to rely on Walter's abilities for the needed friction.

Walter slowed a bit, but now he was hitting that spot almost every time.

"Open your eyes, Paige. I want to look at you."

Paige did as he asked, and looked up into deep brown eyes full of love. He continued to stroke, slowly and deliberately. It had to be soon now. Walter bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips, then rose up again, looking into her eyes as if all the answers to all the questions he'd ever pondered lay there.

"Now, baby. Come on, NOW!"

The endearment sounded odd coming from Walter, but it acted like fuel to a fire. Paige closed her eyes and felt a quivering start deep in her belly and move down until she came apart in shattering spasms.

She came back quickly. Walter was pumping furiously and Paige pressed the heels of her hands down hard on the mattress so that she could work with him, matching thrust for thrust. The added friction on her sensitized tissues was uncomfortable, but that was all the more reason to get Walter on his way. Finally, he stilled and his head jerked up, the tendons and muscles in his neck taut with the strain of his release.

Walter groaned once then, still holding himself up, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. Bending, he kissed her lips, then collapsed, rolling to the side just in time to avoid smothering her.

Paige curled up on her side, facing the man who was now her lover; who had for so long been her best friend. A surprising thought passed through her. If she was ever going to have any more children, Walter would be their father. She smiled at the thought. He was already such a great father for Ralph. He made it clear that he understood he wasn't Ralph's father, but in so many ways, he was the best father Ralph ever had. The thought was premature, but Paige couldn't help wonder how Walter would feel about having a child.

Walter rolled to face her. He reached a hand out and tangled his fingers in her hair.

"Oh God, my hair must be a total mess!" Paige cried, realizing the moment she said it how absurd it was.

"You are… stunning," he responded.

Paige smiled. She felt warmth rising in her cheeks, but she didn't worry about it. Walter liked to compliment her, even when she must look like a sheepdog that got caught in a wind tunnel. She could get used to it.

"Are you okay? You looked like you sort of went… out... there for a minute." She rested one hand on his side, lightly stroking downwards towards his hip. They would have to get out of bed soon and get ready for another work day, but right now she wanted to enjoy just being together.

"In uh… Europe in the uh… nineteenth century, orgasm was termed _La petite mort_ – the little death. It refers to a brief period of post-orgasmic unconsciousness that affects some people. I believe I uh… I know now what that means."

"Oh. Is it… I mean… is it dangerous?"

Walter stroked her hair. "No, not at all." He rolled back on this back and beckoned for her to cuddle with him. Paige scooted over and Walter wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His hand continued to stroke her hair.

"Oh. Well that's good then. I'd hate to think we'd have to…"

"Stop doing this?" he finished her comment. "No. Even if it was dangerous, I'd rather die a happy man, than live without ever making love to you again Paige."

"Oh…my God! How do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"You insist you know nothing about relationships or romance, but you can say the most romantic things!" She dropped a kiss below his collar bone.

"It's just the truth, Paige. It doesn't take a great deal of skill or… or… suave speech… to tell the truth."

"Speaking of how do you do that, yesterday you found my… my happy spot… with your fingers. Then the second time you found it again on the first try. Again today, you found it right away."

"I… learn fast."

"Okay. I get that. But then this morning when you… I mean with your… penis… you did the same thing. You hit the nail with the head so to speak."

"Simple geometry. My fingers are about average size. My middle finger is 95 millimeters. My erect penis is about 140 millimeters. But when I found the spot, my finger was only inserted to about three-fourths its length or about 70 millimeters. I calculated that I need to insert approximately one-half of my penis in order to reach the correct distance, but also that I need about a twenty degree upward angle to compensate for the relative position of hand versus hips."

"Oh geez. You really were doing calculations!"

"Of course. I will acknowledge that at some point earlier my… my brain ceased to function at its normal level. But in general, if I'm awake, my brain is actively working out problems, sometimes doing math calculations, sometimes working on engineering problems..."

"But…" Paige ran a hand across his chest, fingering the hair that was scattered across it. "…don't you ever relax?"

"I'm relaxed now," he insisted. "But there is a part of my brain that is calculating the number of outside influences that might have caused Toby's accident and the other incidents, and what vulnerabilities might exist in the automobile software, since it seems apparent that it isn't a mechanical problem. Although since Happy is back, I'm going to see if she can look over the cars as well. I trust her judgment above anyone else's in that area." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Paige, even if I am working calculations in my head, I'm still one-hundred percent here, with you. The part of me that is occupied with the case does not detract in any way from my ability to focus on you… on us. I confess, I don't know quite how that is, or why. It's not something I've ever really experienced before but then… in my past… relationships, I haven't wanted to."

"Hmmm," she mused. "I guess I knew that being involved with a genius would be different."

"Different…good?" he asked hopefully.

Paige smiled and rose up to kiss his lips. Walter captured her shoulders and held her, turned what was meant to be a playful peck into a long, slow, sweet kiss. When they parted, Paige answered dreamily, "Different… wonderful!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Aren't you glad I didn't split this into two parts when they went to sleep? HaHaHa!**

* * *

November 13, 2016


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 _In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. ~_ _Khalil Gibran_

* * *

"Remember, Honey, no talking about the case with Toby. You can get all the info you need from Happy after you two leave. Toby needs his rest and he doesn't need to relive the events that put him into this hospital!"

Paige and Walter walked briskly through the main lobby of the hospital, heading unerringly for the elevators. Walter reflected that, despite the efficiency, it still hurt a bit to recall why he knew his way around the hospital so well. At least this time he was going to see someone who would be released and make a full recovery.

"Honey?" he inquired, realizing that the curious moniker that Paige used was addressed to him. They reached the elevators and Walter punched the up button.

"It's… an endearment. Like 'sweetheart' or 'baby'," Paige replied, rubbing a hand up and down his arm. "I know you know what they are." She dropped her voice down to a whisper. "You called me 'sweetheart' just this morning… when we were… you know!"

Walter observed her raised eyebrows and inferred from her tone of voice that she was referencing their sexual activity. He wasn't sure why humans attached shame and embarrassment to any discussion of the act, although he had to admit he'd experienced some of the same himself. However, that was related more to the strength of the urges he'd been feeling, which at the time he considered might be inappropriate.

"I fail to see the logic in addressing a… a loved one with a word that is otherwise used to designate nectar regurgitated by the genus _Apis_." Walter smiled.

"You're doing it again, aren't you?"

The elevator doors opened and Walter indicated that Paige should precede him. "I am teasing you, yes. I do realize that 'Honey' in this context is an endearment. I'm just not used to anyone using such terms with me." As the doors closed, Walter leaned over and whispered. "Would you like me to call you 'babe' or 'sugar plum' or maybe 'snookums'?"

"Ugh. None of the above," Paige made a face. "And where the heck did you hear 'snookums'?"

"Toby."

"Of course," she groaned. "Well, unless you want me to start giving you love taps like Happy gives Toby, I suggest you find some more… dignified pet names."

The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor and the two exited. Paige stopped to read the direction signs.

"Toby is in room… 517…" she drifted off as Walter immediately turned left, paying no attention to the signs. He recalled every step they'd taken the evening before to get to the room. He didn't need any signs.

"Oh, good, Walt, you're here," Happy exclaimed as soon as they appeared in the doorway. "Toby, I love you, but after all your complaining last night you're lucky I'm not using my new ring to bolt you to that bed so the hospital has to keep you for a few days." Happy began gathering her things. After piling them on a chair, she turned back to the bed. "I phoned Walt while you were in the shower. He and I are going with Cabe – as soon as he gets here – so I can go check out those cars. When you're released, Paige will take you home and stay with you until I get there. But so help me, Doc if you keep up the 'doctors make lousy patients' bullshit I'm gonna go fishing again – permanently!"

"Wow. Happy," Paige dropped her things on a small table and approached the bed. "Toby's been giving you grief, has he?"

"You have no idea, Paige. I know I'm not cut out to be Florence Nightingale, but the doc here would turn a saint into Nurse Ratchet. Maybe you can handle him better. You're used to dealing with a ten year old!"

"Snookums! It wasn't that bad, was it?" Toby protested, making a face as he picked up a spoonful of eggs from his breakfast plate, then let them fall back down.

Paige turned and met Walter's eyes. Seeing her amusement, Walter grinned. He wondered if this was the sort of situation where a wink might be appropriate – a signal that he shared her delight in what was now a private joke. He decided to give it a try and carefully blinked one eye at her.

"This stuff is slop," Toby complained, then looked up at the pair standing at the foot of his bed. "I don't suppose you two might have thought to stop a Kov…. Wait a minute… What is going on here?" he pointed a finger back and forth between them. "You two… you've… you finally made it official, haven't you?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Paige insisted.

Walter's eyes widened as he stared at his friend. Paige might be able to bluff her way through this, but Walter realized his flaming face was giving Toby all the proof he needed. "I… we…" he stuttered. He still didn't understand why this should be embarrassing, but he could not deny that he was embarrassed.

"Yes, you… you!" Toby pressed the button to raise the head of the bed. "You two have been doing the horizontal mambo, and I'd bet my Harvard degree that last night was the first time. Walter, you devil, I'm glad to know the three year drought is over. But seriously? I nearly die in that deathtrap you have me not driving and you're back home making mad whoopee, while I lie here in pain?" Toby placed his good hand dramatically against his heart. "Your concern for my welfare is truly touching, mi amigo!"

"Toby!" Paige gripped the foot of the bed and leaned over slightly. "Not that it is any of yours or anyone else's business, but I know you well enough that you won't let go of this so…" she reached over and took Walter's hand, turning to smile at him. Walter was more than willing to leave this situation in her capable hands, certain that if he opened his mouth he would say too much. She was, after all, the communicator, right? He smiled slightly in response.

"Yes. Walter and I made love… last night… and uh… this morning. It's something very special to us, but shouldn't be of any concern to anyone else. So this will be the last time you mention it, is that clear? Otherwise I'll find a way to make you stay in this hospital a lot longer – you got that?"

Toby slowly nodded his head up and down.

"And in case that's not enough to get you to keep your mouth shut, Doc, I'll help her," Happy added.

Toby glanced at Happy, then back at Paige, then to Walter who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope you don't think this gets you out of work completely, Curtis," came a booming voice from the doorway. Cabe walked in and immediately went up to the bedside, apparently oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. "I'm sure we can find some personnel files for you to look at to keep your mind off your troubles for a few days!" He turned and addressed the two other geniuses in the room. "Happy, you and Walt about ready to go take a look at those cars?"

* * *

Walter watched Happy work. She really didn't need him there, any more than Cabe needed him while he explained to the company's top brass that they had yet to come up with a single solid lead and that yet another of their cars had been destroyed in a freak accident, this time involving their own driver. But he was holding out hope that Happy would find something that would explain all this and get them off of this train wreck of a case.

"Walt?" she called, as if reading his mind.

"What?" he replied anxiously, walking up closer to the car, but being careful not to touch anything. "Did you find something?"

"Oh… uh… no… not yet. I just… I was wondering. Is it true? What Paige said? You and she?"

Walter sighed, feeling deflated. "Yes, it's true. As of early this morning."

"You okay with that?" she asked.

Happy was being uncharacteristically… nosy? Walter wasn't sure why, but unlike Toby he knew that with Happy there must be some logical reason for her interrogation. "Of course," he answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you've never exactly been a touchy feely kind of guy. As your friend, I want to be sure you're not… that you're not feeling like this is something you have to do if you don't want to. I've seen you react to a simple hug, I can't imagine how you feel… when… And I know Paige wouldn't do anything to make you feel like you have to, but if you've convinced yourself…"

"It's not like that at all, Happy. You're right, I've never like touching people. But with Paige… it's different. I can't really explain it. There's no formula to explain why. I just know with her… it's more like I can't… touch her… or be touched… enough."

"Okay, Walt, I get it. TMI, okay?" She rose and stretched from where she'd been examining the engine. "Toby drives me crazy with all his cute nicknames and hugging and crap. But I really kinda like it too. So I understand how things can be… different… sometimes."

She chuckled and Walter grinned. "I guess robots really can fall in love," he quipped.

Happy walked over to the wall and punched a button. Machinery groaned and the car slowly rose on the hydraulic platform. Happy slapped the button again and the lift stopped. She walked under the car and began inspecting the transmission.

"So… since we're being um… chatty… I take it you and Toby have come to some… understanding." Walter held up the ring that Happy asked him to hold for her.

"Yeah. I told him my whole crazy story and… long story short… we're engaged. We'll get hitched as soon as I can track down my idiot husband and get a divorce. Could you bring over that tool chest?" She pointed in the direction of a tall red cabinet. Walter walked over and pushed the wheeled cabinet under the car. Happy opened a drawer and rummaged inside.

"This is disgraceful. Metric wrenches mixed in with SAE. Half these crap tools are coated with grease. The mechanics that work for this company ought to be arrested just for the way they mistreat their tools!"

"Not everyone has an uh… appreciation for uh… delicate equipment." Walter wondered if he should steer the conversation back to Happy's marriage. It was possible that her segue onto tools was simply a way to change the subject – an indication that he should mind his own business. On the other hand, Happy was passionate about tools and _**would**_ be distressed by the poor condition these were in.

"Would you um… would you like my help… with your… with tracking down your husband?"

"I can't find a damn thing wrong with this car, Walter. At least nothing that explains what's happening. If it's not a software bug and it's not a mechanical glitch then the only possibility left is that it's some sort of targeted hack." She wiped down the wrench she'd been holding and placed it back in the tool chest, randomly picking up another and wiping it down. "And as for my husband… I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"Paige, I'm sorry."

Paige looked up from the paperwork she'd been dealing with while Toby's doctors argued with him. She'd just been thinking that it was odd that it was still called "paperwork" when actual paper was rarely involved, and wondered why Toby would be apologizing for that.

"You're sorry? For what, Toby?"

"I'm… sorry… for what I said earlier. For teasing Walt… and you. The old Walt never would have gotten the connection... wouldn't have… well he sure as heck wouldn't have blushed like a schoolgirl. I guess he's not totally the old Walt anymore, is he?"

Paige folded up her tablet and packed it back into her bag. "Does that bother you, Toby… that Walter is changing?"

"No!" He paused for a moment, looking at Paige curiously. "You sounded a lot like a psychiatrist, there, Ms. Dineen. If I don't miss my guess, that's my job."

Paige laughed. "It's my job too, at least partially. If I'm supposed to help you interact with people, I have to know a little something about how your minds work – from an emotional standpoint at least. If there's one thing I've learned it's that all of you try to pretend that you either don't have any emotions or that you have them completely under control and the truth is, you're all fooling yourselves. Sometimes it's my job to help you realize that."

Toby nodded his head slowly. "You may not be a genius, but you're one smart cookie. Getting back to your earlier question, I'm glad Walter's changing. He needed to change. But like most things, he needed the right motivation."

Toby started to move the blankets aside. "Uh… Paige…" he started and she jumped up and walked over to the bed.

"Do you need some help?" She started to pull the blanket but Toby suddenly grabbed it away from her.

"Uh… no thanks," he responded. "I was actually going to ask you to close the door and maybe step out for a moment. This gown has hiked up and unless you want to compare notes with Happy… I uh… I think I got this."

Paige nodded and began moving toward the door. "Right… okay… I'll just… step out and let you um… I'll be right outside if you do… need something."

"Been dressing myself for years, Dineen. Even one handed, I think I'll manage."

* * *

November 26, 2016


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What a Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 _It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. ~Albert Einstein_

* * *

"Hello? Is anybody in here?"

Sly rushed to the door of the garage. "Ralph! I'm glad your carpool dropped you off safely, that's good. Your mother said she would call the school and make arrangements. She asked me to let you know that Toby is doing very well, is in good spirits and will make a full recovery. She's going to stay with him until Happy finishes looking over the self-driving deathtrap they were in." Sylvester walked up to Ralph and patted him on the shoulder, hoping to be reassuring. "I've been further instructed to make sure you get your homework done, so I suggest you get busy on that right now."

"I already finished my homework in the car on the way here," Ralph said, dropping his backpack beside his mother's desk. He unzipped the back compartment and pulled out his laptop, setting it on the desk and opening it up. "Mom texted me that Happy and Walter would be busy looking over the car, so I figured I should finish up my homework fast so that I can help you check the self-driving software using Walter's sniffer program. Two computers can work faster than one."

"All… all right," Sly responded, returning to his own desk and sitting down. He tapped a few keys on his own computer. "I'll send you a key so you can download the software from my computer."

"I've already got it. You should really consider changing your password. I know it's special to you, but 'Megan111615' is really way too easy to guess."

"I… I know," Sly muttered. If Walter knew he had such an obvious password, and hadn't changed it for months, he'd probably get fired from Scorpion. "I just… it makes me really happy every time I type it. It's a lot like my wedding band. I know I should… should give it up… but it's just really hard and I'm not ready to let go."

"Because you miss her?"

Sly thought for a moment, trying to think of how to explain this to Ralph. The boy might be intellectually like Walter, but more and more he was showing a lot of his mother's emotional sensitivity as well. "Yes – I miss her. And the password and the wedding band help me to remember her. But even more, I feel like she's still with me. And as long as she's still with me, I don't want to remove these parts of her from my life."

"Is that normal when someone dies, Sly? Do people always feel like the person is still with them?"

"I… I don't know, Ralph. Megan is the first person I've lost that way, and I haven't really ever talked with anyone about this. So I only know that's how I feel." Sly observed the boy for a moment. It was unlikely his questions were driven by simple curiosity. "Is… is something bothering you, Ralph?"

"Well…" Ralph shrugged, and turned the chair to face Sly. "Toby got hurt on a case. And I know he's going to be okay, but there's a chance he might have…. died. Mom tries to keep things from me when cases are dangerous, but I know there've been a bunch of times when she's been really in danger. And there have been a **lot** of times when Walter's been in danger. I keep thinking… Walter and my mom… they just got together. There's even a chance that someday they might… that the three of us might be a real family… and Walter can be my dad for real. But then I think, what if something happens and he or my mom – or even both of them – get killed? I don't know how I would… how I would…."

"Ralph," Sly interrupted, getting up from his desk and walking quickly across the room. He thought at first of squatting down to be on Ralph's level, but thought better of the idea and grabbed another chair. It didn't put them exactly on the same level, but Ralph needed to know he wasn't being spoken to like a child. "I'm not going to pretend and tell you that will never happen, because you're right; any one of us might be in danger on the cases we work on. And danger is… is scary. Believe me, I'm an expert on scary. But I've learned a lot about being scared. I still get scared… very scared… but I've learned that you can't spend your whole life just thinking about what you're afraid of. Because then you miss out on enjoying the very things you're scared of losing. So the best thing I can tell you is to be happy that your mom and Walter are together – be happy because they're happy. And make sure you enjoy every day with them. Even though I miss Megan like crazy, I also know that I enjoyed every moment I spent with her. That, more than anything, helps me get through."

Ralph was silent for a few moments. Sly was beginning to wonder if he should assure the boy that he would always be taken care of. As long as there was one member of Scorpion left alive, Ralph Dineen would have a family. Something told him that Ralph probably already knew that.

Ralph nodded, then smiled up at him. "Okay. I think I can do that. There's something else I don't understand though?"

Sly suppressed a sigh. He enjoyed watching after Ralph, and he was happy he could do this for Paige, but he wasn't used to being an emotional counselor for a pre-teen. He barely understood his own emotions.

"What else do you want to know?"

"I really enjoyed the mentoring session last night, but wouldn't it make more sense for you to mentor me? Professor Will is nice, but if I was working with you, then we could keep working even after the sessions. That would be more efficient."

Sly sat back in his chair. He'd discussed this with Paige. One argument had one her over. "The mentoring sessions aren't just about working on higher mathematics, Ralph. They also represent an opportunity for social interaction. That's one of the main reasons **I'm** doing this – so I can learn to be more comfortable in social situations. To be of most benefit for both you **and** I, it's important that we work with other people in the group. You can still work with me when we're here in the garage, but working with Professor Will and the other mentors will give you a broader scope – both mathematically and socially."

"So this is another way Mom's trying to make me more socially capable than you guys?"

"Well, it's how I talked her into letting you participate."

* * *

"This sniffer software is finding absolutely nothing," Sly complained. "Are you finding anything, Ralph?"

"No. Nothing. Aside from the backdoor that Walter installed, there's absolutely no evidence of any stylistic deviation or anything that would indicate that someone inserted any sort of non-standard code. No evidence of viruses, trojans or anything that would indicate sabotage or anything like that."

"So we're at another dead end. I'm getting hungry. Maybe we should take a break. We could walk up to the little café on the corner and grab a bite."

"But what if my mom comes back while we're out. She'll worry."

"I'll text her and make sure it's okay." Sly pulled his phone out of his pocket and began tapping keys.

Before long, Paige responded, thanking Sly for taking such good care of her son and granting her permission for them to go out for some dinner. Looking up, he noticed Ralph watching him intently.

"What?" He asked. "Your mom says it's okay. Let's go."

"I… I think we've been going at this all wrong." Ralph said.

Sly was halfway into his jacket, but paused. "What do you mean?"

"We've been looking at the company software, the servers, and the software and equipment in the cars. The company gave Scorpion full access to everything. We almost never get full access. We usually wind up having to hack into things. I think because we got such easy access to the company's software, we forgot that whoever is doing this probably doesn't have easy access. They have to sneak in – using a method that the company hasn't thought about."

"But… but we have checked for evidence of hackers. The company's security safeguards are pretty airtight." Sly slipped his jacket back off and walked over to where Ralph was still typing on his keyboard.

Ralph brought up a website for a major automobile manufacturer, noting the standard features shared across most of the models. "Almost all cars today are equipped with Bluetooth technology so that drivers can use their phones in a hands-free mode, even while driving. That wouldn't be so necessary in a driverless vehicle, but the Bluetooth is also used to provide entertainment – something that might actually be even more necessary once the cars are fully tested for self-driving operation, because the drivers are now really passengers and will get bored. If the company adapted their test cars from stock vehicles, that technology could provide a door for someone to hack into a car – simply by hacking into the cellphone of the driver."

"… and all the drivers have to go through training at the company headquarters. Anyone there could easily scan for signals from the drivers' phones while they are in the training classes." Sly snapped his fingers. "We need to call Walter!"

* * *

"The only other thing I can think of, O'Brien, is to take one of these cars out on a test drive myself. Maybe it's something that only shows up when the engine is actually running or the transmission is engaged."

"Uh… but Toby made me promise not to let you into one of these cars. He was very explicit. He… he doesn't want to lose you now that you've agreed to… to marry him."

Happy turned. She was holding a very large wrench in one hand and Walter braced himself to duck. "If you're telling me you're going to allow Doc to throw a monkey wrench in this case, I may have to throw one at you!"

"Well… but… the company insists that all their drivers complete a training course. They won't give us the keys to any of their test vehicles." Walter resisted the urge to bring his arms up to protect himself from a potential missile.

Happy snorted. "Since when do I need keys to start a car?"

Walter knew when he was defeated, and truthfully, he was beginning to think the only way to solve this case was to have his mechanical genius drive one of the cars. Had Happy been around when they caught the case, Toby would never have been his choice for driver. He only hoped Happy would turn their luck around. Not that he believed in luck.

"Okay – but I have to go with."

"Cool!" Happy said excitedly. She turned and placed the wrench in the tool box, then sprinted to the other side of the garage. A few minutes later, Walter found himself sitting in the passenger seat of a test vehicle, exiting the garage and onto the Los Angeles streets. He crossed his fingers that they would return safely.

"You know, Walt, it's silly to be worried," Happy assured him as she maneuvered the car out of the warehouse district. "There have only been a very small number of accidents in these cars. The odds that **one** member of Scorpion would be involved are crazy high. The odds that it would happen **again** are… well… really astronomical."

"That would be more comforting if I wasn't so intimately aware of the number of times Scorpion team members encounter perilous situations on cases," Walter countered. "It defies all odds."

"Well, hold onto your hat then," Happy turned briefly and grinned. "I'm about to disengage driver control. And… we're now in self-driving mode."

Happy leaned back in the seat and laced her fingers behind her head. "The Doc really thought this part was cool. I can see it would be great to get some of the idiots off the road, but I think I prefer being in control."

"I'm sure Toby is aware of that," Walter quipped.

Happy's head whipped around to stare at him. Just at that moment, Walter's phone rang.

" _Incoming call from… Number 4… Incoming call from… Number 4."_

"Hello, Ralph?" Walter answered. He listened for a few moments, then disconnected the call. He stared at his phone a minute, then turned it off.

"Happy, do you still have Toby's phone?"

"No – I left it with the Doc."

"What about your own phone?"

"I lost it in the wreck. I found it wedged under the seat when I was inspecting the car, but it was almost sliced in two under the seat rails. It's toast."

"Do you have it with you? Is it turned off?"

"The battery was almost sliced in two, O'Brien. That phone is never gonna turn on again. Why?"

"Ralph thinks the cars are being controlled by the cellphones carried by the drivers. Sly suspects whoever is doing this gains access to the phones while the drivers are in training, but since we can't be sure of that, we need to make sure there are no accessible cellphones in this vehicle. And we need to get to Toby right away so I can look at his phone and see if it's been hacked."

"Roger that, boss. I'll switch back to manual and get us to Toby's in about… thirty minutes. It'd be faster but even I can't get this little monkey car go faster than fifty miles an hour."

* * *

 **Author's Note** – For those who are still with me after this long hiatus – Thank you SO MUCH. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that I took so long to update, but I've had some health issues since before Christmas that made it pretty much impossible to write. I'm all better now, so I hope to also get _Be Careful What You Wish_ updated soon, too. _Internal Combustion_ will be about one or two more chapters, and I have some new plots for some one- or two-shots bouncing in my head.

PS – I love reviews! (But then, who doesn't?)

* * *

February 26, 2017


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What A Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 _One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes change a delinquent into a solid citizen. ~Philip Wylie_

* * *

"My interest is purely professional, Ms. Dineen! That and I'm bored to tears here. It took me all of about thirty minutes to go through those personnel files and there is nada in them to point a finger at our hacker. With that out of the way, my best opportunity for entertainment happens to be the juicy details surrounding the recent turn of events in your relationship with my 197 IQ friend."

Paige shook her head and set the plate down on the table in front of Toby. "I don't care how bored you are, Toby. I'm not going to indulge in a locker-room discussion of my relationship with you. I've never even been comfortable discussing those sorts of personal details with female friends, so I'm certainly not going to discuss it with you. Now eat your sandwich before I stuff it down your throat just to stop you from asking questions!"

Toby slumped further down in the recliner, wincing when the movement jarred his shoulder. "At least tell me if Walter was satisfactory. On a scale of one to ten, where ten is like, the best sex you've ever had and one is like masturbating with a carrot stick…"

Paige picked up the cloth napkin she'd brought out with her own lunch, balled it up and launched it at the man.

"Uh, Paige? Why are you attacking my future husband? Not that I'm not sure he deserves it – I'm just curious."

Paige jumped in her seat, nearly dropping her lunch on the floor. Looking up, she saw Walter standing just behind Happy. The last thing she wanted was to see him embarrassed again at having their personal lives the subject of gossip.

"You know how doctors are, my sweet confectionery; she who's gonna marry me," Toby interjected. "I was just being the pain in the _tuches_ that you know I can be. I'm afraid I've been running her ragged. She no sooner sat down to eat a well-earned lunch than I asked her to get me another drink."

Paige turned back to stare at Toby, who winked at her. She did her best to swallow a relieved sigh. Toby _could_ be a real pain, but he did have his sensitive side. Obviously, he understood. The changes in her and Walter's relationship – precipitated by his personal epiphany – might be seen to have happened at a snail's pace by most, but for Walter, it was more like a whirlwind. He was in a fragile state emotionally, and he could easily regress.

Happy eyed both Toby and Paige with suspicion, but apparently decided to allow the subject to drop. "We need your phone, Doc. Ralph figured out that someone is hacking into the drivers' phones, and from there into the cars. Walter wants to see if there's any evidence that your phone is what got you into that … Where is your sling?"

Toby lifted the injured arm and began to point across the room, then winced and raised his other arm. "The phone is on the kitchen bar along with that infernal sling. I've had that blasted thing for less than 24 hours and it's already chaffed my neck so bad I'm tempted to send you out for diaper cream!"

Walter turned in the indicated direction and rummaged on the counter. Tossing aside Toby's discarded sling, he found the device underneath and immediately connected it to his laptop. Happy walked up beside him and grabbed the sling, then resolutely marched back to where the doctor was sitting.

"If you don't wear this thing, you're going to reinjure yourself," she said, twirling the sling on one finger. She cut him off as he was about to protest. "You're a brain doctor. The _**bone**_ doctor said you need to wear this and you _**will**_ wear it if I have to bolt it to your neck!"

"Hmm…" Toby mused, grinning. "Bolts in my neck might actually be a turn-on for you. I _**know**_ you've got a thing for Frankenstein, after all."

Paige suppressed a snort. She wondered if she and Walter would ever be as comfortable with each other as Toby and Happy were. They had moments, of course, but nothing like the easy banter and teasing of the other couple. She stood up and took her plate back into the kitchen, her appetite waning in the excitement of the break in their case.

"So this was Ralph's idea?"

Walter barely reacted to her sudden appearance at his back. But he nodded in her direction, a slight smile crossing his features while his focus remained on the laptop screen and his fingers flew across the keyboard. "He realized that because we were given full access to the company's resources, we were unconsciously limiting our investigations to those avenues. We weren't looking at the possibility that the hacks were coming from outside the company entirely – or almost entirely. He thinks it's probably still an inside job, but whoever is doing this is using the personal cellphones of the drivers to hack into the cars through the Bluetooth connection." He paused a moment, then tapped a few keys to highlight two lines on the screen. "It's really an obvious solution, but one none of us thought to look at. It also appears to be the correct one." He turned to face Paige. "Those two lines represent intrusions into Toby's phone from the same IP address. It's an address for a private network – the sort that most people have set up for WiFi in their homes. The first intrusion occurred not long after Toby left the instructional class and started driving. That one succeeded in downloading an unauthorized app onto his phone. The next occurred last night, about ten minutes before the accident." Walter's eyes shone with zeal. "If it weren't for Ralph's insight, we might not have found this for hours… maybe even days. I have to call Cabe!"

* * *

Walter sat inside the car with Paige, just down the street from the house where the hacks into Toby's phone originated. They were waiting for Cabe to arrive with the Feds and a warrant. It had taken Sly just minutes to make the connection. The tiny home was rented to a cab driver and his wife, but the cab driver's son worked as a trainer for the software company. There was no hint yet as to a motive for the trainer to sabotage his company, or why he would set his base of operations in his father's home. But Walter knew Cabe and the other interrogators would figure that out. The important thing now was to put a stop to the accidents.

"Every time I think I know just how smart Ralph is, he surprises me."

"But you said it's an obvious solution? I'll never disagree that Ralph is smart, but one of you would have figured this out eventually." Paige looked perplexed.

Walter turned to face Paige. For just a second, he had a flash of memory.

 _He was lying opposite Paige in his bed. Her skin was flushed and glowing from their recent exertions and his fingers were tangled in her hair. He felt again the sense of completeness; the sense that he'd found a home at last. He knew it was early to be thinking of anything permanent; of the possibility of sharing a home with this woman who made him understand love at last; or with the boy who was as much his son as any child they might one day create together. But hope was already blooming in his heart..._

…and apparently his mind was now subject to sudden distractions and ridiculous reverie.

"Intelligence isn't just knowing a lot of facts or being able to solve complex mathematics," he explained. "It's the ability to put facts together to draw conclusions. To do that, and do it well – do it _intelligently_ – one has to be free of assumptions; to draw only the conclusions that fit the facts and _all_ the conclusions that fit the facts. That's one area… although certainly not the only one… where Ralph surpasses the rest of us."

Walter turned abruptly to see the flashing lights approaching. "That's Cabe and the Feds," he said. "Time to see another case successfully solved." He started the car and pulled in behind the last of the black vehicles.

* * *

Paige couldn't help but feel sorry for the old man and his wife. They were completely bewildered by the sudden appearance of a squad of police and FBI at their door. They seemed to age in front of her eyes, especially after they realized that by revealing the computer equipment in their basement was their grandson's, they'd all but convicted the young boy of attempted manslaughter. It didn't help that, given the boy's age, Paige knew he would likely get a relatively light punishment. She knew all too well the terror they must be feeling. She remembered when agents came for Ralph. At least Ralph had been completely unaware of what he was doing, and he'd had Scorpion helping to prove that. What this young boy had done, he'd done on purpose. At nine years old, he might not understand that his actions could cause serious injuries, but the boy admitted he intended for the vehicles to malfunction, resulting in accidents. He'd heard his father and grandfather arguing over the possibility that the new cars would put his grandfather out of a job. Knowing the boy was fascinated with computers and everything related to them, his father frequently took the boy to work with him. It was there that he was able to gain hack the phones of the drivers, in an effort to stop what he saw as a threat to his family.

"What do you think will happen to Jeremy?" She and Walter were heading back to the garage after Walter had given his report on what he found on the boy's computers. Cabe was staying to finish up, then he would go back to the software company to report what they found.

"I think Cabe could answer that better than I can, but given his age I suspect they won't be too hard on him. I did hear Cabe say something about limiting his access to computers, which would be a shame."

"Considering what he did with them, don't you think that's probably a good idea?"

Walter eased the car into Paige's usual spot in front of the garage and killed the engine. Before Paige opened the door, he lay a hand on her arm. She turned back to face him.

"I understand the need for it, Paige. But I also understand the potential loss it represents." Walter turned in his own seat, and moved his hand down to take hers. "Imagine if Ralph's access to computer technology were restricted after that business with the CIA a couple of years ago. Or… or if mine had when NASA found out I hacked them. They wanted to, you know. I don't think Cabe knows that I know, but he fought to make sure that my abilities would be encouraged instead of restricted."

Paige's eyes widened and her fingers tightened around his. "Do you think Jeremy is a genius, then?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I didn't get to talk to him myself, and kids pick up these skills amazingly well when they start early. Geniuses tend to lack the ability to understand right from wrong in some cases. But then, so do nine-year-old boys. He's got real skills, though. If he had good instruction, and someone to teach him… to teach him the difference between what he _can_ do and what he _should_ do… he could do brilliant things."

"Is there anything we can do to help him?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to try."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I'm going to stop apologizing for my infrequent updates. Please believe that I hate leaving folks high and dry on these fics, and that I will try to update as often as I can. Life is just really crazy right now. But some of it is good crazy – so keep your fingers crossed, and please leave a review!

* * *

March 11, 2017 – April 30, 2017


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What a Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **Posting two shorter chapters today to bring this to a close. Thanks so much to everyone who has favorited, followed and especially reviewed. It's sort of ironic that this is a sequel to** _ **What A Long, Strange Trip,**_ **because writing this has been a long, strange trip itself. This started out as a personal challenge to write a case-based fic, and it has been a challenge, but one I've enjoyed. I started this almost exactly a year ago. I never dreamed it would take me this long. Double thanks to everyone who has stuck through to the end, despite the long breaks.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 _It is unfair to believe everything we hear about lawyers, some of it might not be true._

 _~Gerald F. Lieberman_

* * *

Happy sailed into the garage and immediately dropped her backpack beside her desk. With the self-driving case wrapped up, she might be able to spend the entire day working on her latest personal project. Taking a last drink from her water bottle, she set that on her desk and turned to her worktable where a variety of small parts where laid out. She was never one to anthropomorphize objects or lend them sentimental value, but after several days away, she felt like this was a reunion with an old friend.

"Happy, I thought I gave you the rest of the week off?" Walter wandered up and stood over her, hands in his pockets looking down at the array of gears and bolts. "Aren't you supposed to be looking after Toby?"

"You mean Toby the Toddler? I swear he's like…. two years old when he's sick." Happy scowled. "He's not even really sick. He's got an arm in a sling but he acts like he's completely helpless. Every five minutes he needs something. I couldn't take it anymore!"

Walter frowned. "You didn't leave him alone, did you? I know he's not helpless, but it's got to be tough having only one usable arm."

"Yeah… about that," Happy looked up at her boss, hoping he wouldn't mind the temporary staffing change. "I uh… called Sylvester. He uh… won't be in the office for the next couple of days. He agreed to take care of Tobes during the day for me in exchange for… certain… favors."

Happy quickly focused back on her parts, hoping Walter wouldn't question her further. No such luck.

"Favors? What exactly did you promise him, Happy? Wait – let me guess – comic books?"

"Not… exactly. Sly makes enough money to buy all the comic books he wants these days."

"Then what?"

Happy looked back up, her eyes boring into Walter's, daring him to react to what she was about to reveal. "I agreed to go with him to the next ComicCon. Dressed up in that stupid Patty what's-her-name costume."

Walter grinned, but managed to keep from laughing. "We'll expect pictures!"

Happy huffed. "Not in this lifetime. Anybody who takes a picture of me in that getup will find out what the inside of their phone looks like – up close and personal."

"Well, we don't have a case today, so not a problem that Sly is out and I'm actually glad you're here." Walter returned to his own desk and tapped a few keys on his laptop. "I've been hunting down your husband, and I think I've found him."

At those words, Happy shot up from her stool and raced across the garage. "Seriously, Walt? Where is he? He's not dead?"

Walter turned the laptop so that Happy could see the screen. "No. Not dead. Actually, I think he's married. That is, he's married to someone else."

Happy straightened up and turned to stare at Walter. "Married? Not Good."

"On the contrary, that is actually good – for you. I called Haywood Morris. If Seth has committed bigamy by marrying some other woman while he's still married to you, it gives you leverage. He can either give you a quick divorce – on YOUR terms – or you can press charges."

"Sweet!" Happy was positively grinning. If she had something she could hold over Seth, she could get her divorce without worrying about the mooching bastard demanding some sort of support settlement.

"There's a bit of a wrinkle to the story," Walter continued, turning his laptop so that Happy could see.

Happy looked at the screen. It displayed the website for a large construction contracting firm. She recognized the name from some of the big cranes that dotted the city. She turned to look at her boss. "What does this have to do with Seth?"

"He owns the company."

Happy could feel her jaw drop. Before she could think of anything to say, Walter filled in the blanks.

"To be clear, he and his purported wife own the company. She's the daughter of the previous owner. When her father died, she inherited. Under California marriage laws, that means Seth is half-owner. But only if he's legally married."

"So… if he doesn't give me a divorce, he stands to lose his cushy lifestyle?"

"Exactly. If money is still what drives him, and it seems it is, well… I know how much you make, Happy, and even with the nice bonuses we get, you can't hold a candle – financially anyway – to the newest Mrs. Seth. He'll be only too happy to give you a divorce – and the quieter and quicker, the better."

"Great. How do we get this ball rolling?"

"Already in the works," Walter stated, turning the laptop back. "I sent Haywood a text. He's on his way over here with some papers, including something called a Stipulated Judgement. It's basically a divorce agreement that allows you to get a divorce in California without going to court. You draw up all the conditions, both parties sign, and you file the papers. A judge reviews it all and issues the final decree. Once you sign everything, Heywood will pay Seth a visit. Your soon-to-be ex-husband may be spooked enough to sign everything right away. Even if he balks and wants to get his own lawyer, a lawyer is only going to advise him that he has nothing to gain and everything to lose. The tricky part for Seth is that he's going to have to marry his new wife again. But that's his problem to work out."

"Heywood told you all this?" Happy was skeptical. "I know he did a good job with Ralph's case, but I don't know if I should trust him."

Walter nodded. "I don't really blame you, so I checked everything out. The forms are standard and really, you don't even need a lawyer. I have confidence this will turn out just the way you want."

"Then the Doc and I can get hitched?"

Walter smiled. "Exactly. I expect to dance at your wedding."

"You? Dance?" Happy smirked.

"I can dance! I have danced."

"Huh!" Happy scoffed. "You know geniuses can't dance - - we have two left brains!"

* * *

May 29, 2017


	18. Chapter 18 - Epilogue

**Title: Internal Combustion**

 **Summary:** _ **Sequel to What a Long, Strange Trip. After returning from Tahoe, Walter and Paige try to adjust to the new normal now that they are a couple.**_

 **Author's Note – This was written before Season 3 started. It takes place in a universe where Civil War and everything thereafter never happened.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - Epilogue**

 _The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. ~Bertrand Russell_

* * *

Paige looked up from her desk when the door opened. It was late in the afternoon and she wasn't expecting any clients. Seeing it was Cabe, she quickly gathered the papers on her desk and dropped them into a drawer. It had been three weeks since Cabe last showed up unannounced at the garage and the team were antsy for a good case. She glanced over at Toby, who was napping on the battered couch. It would be another two or three weeks before his arm was completely healed, so they were still a man down. But even one-handed, Toby could coordinate things from the garage. Ralph was on a break from school and would be able to help, too. A juicy case was just what they all needed.

Walter and Happy both stood up from their desks. Ralph looked up from his place at the table and even Sly turned away from his blackboard.

Cabe looked around, a smile crossing his face, and took a sip from his coffee. "I guess you all are expecting me to say 'We've got a case!'. Well, sorry to disappoint, but all's quiet on the front right now. I just came over to give you all an update on that self-driving car case."

Sly set his chalk down in the tray, carefully placing it in the correct position based on its size. He walked out from behind his desk towards the central table, to join the others. Toby groaned and sat up, making an exaggerated show of awkwardly adjusting his position while holding his injured arm still.

"Jeremy had his hearing with the Juvenile Court. All criminal charges have been dropped, but with some conditions."

"What conditions?" Walter asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Cabe replied. "The court put Jeremy through some psychological tests and it seems you're right – he's genius material, although nothing on the scale of any of you." Cabe set his coffee cup on the table before he continued. "Seems Jeremy's dad and his grandad argued a lot about the dad's job with the self-driving cars. Grandad was worried that he'd be out of a job and the kid took that to heart. The shrinks concluded that Jeremy was just doing what he could to help his grandad, and didn't understand the consequences of what he was doing. The conditions are that he go through counseling AND that he be enrolled in a special school for gifted kids. The school includes ethics classes that are designed to teach the kids to put their gifts to good use, so the hope is that will help Jeremy. The real kicker on this is that the software company has agreed to foot the bill for Jeremy's schooling. They seem to think that with some training and the right guidance, he can be an asset to them. They want him to start interning part-time after school with some of their software engineers. The court has assigned an advocate to protect Jeremy's welfare, but it looks like the kid not only gets and education, but a guaranteed job out of the deal."

"Awesome!" Sly exclaimed, pumping his fist in approval.

"That's terrific," Paige agreed. "I'm so glad Jeremy will be getting help and not punishment."

"I'm amazed," Walter said. "Unrecognized talent can be so easily wasted because of one misstep. I'm glad Jeremy's gifts will be developed."

Cabe nodded, "It feels good when a case turns out like this. With a little direction, Jeremy will have the chance to do things to help people instead of hurting them."

"Maybe we could invite Jeremy over and I could show him some of my programs!" Ralph suggested.

"We'll see," Paige countered. "It sounds like Jeremy's going to be kept pretty busy." She appreciated that Ralph was more socially aware, but she didn't think it was good for him to get the idea that every person they encountered in the course of their work was immediately included in the friend zone. Still, it might not be bad for him to have a friend who was also a genius AND closer to his own age. If he mentioned it again in a few days, she would see about getting contact information for Jeremy's parents.

Cabe picked up his coffee. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been in court all morning and I've got a date tonight, so I'm going to knock off early and head home to start gilding the lily." He hoisted his cup in a mock salute and turned towards the door. Then he turned back. "Sly, if you're ready to leave, I can drop you off on my way home."

Sly immediately jumped up and headed back to his desk. "Yes! Just let me grab my stuff. I'm going to a gaming tournament tonight. I planned to go there straight from work to save a bus trip, but this will allow me to drop my things off at home. I'll be much more effective if I'm less encumbered."

Happy looked at Toby. "I guess that's our cue to get out of here, too, Doc." She had gotten her own bag from her desk and slung it over her shoulder. "Do you think you can manage to stand up by yourself?"

Toby looked up and frowned. "This injury affects more than just my ability to carry things, you know. It affects balance and coordination, too. Do you want me to fall flat on my face?"

"With three weeks down and three weeks to go?" Happy looked thoughtful. "Sure. I could use a good laugh."

Paige snickered.

Toby shook his head. "No compassion for the wounded. It's shameful."

Paige noted, however, that Toby was smiling as he stood up from the couch and leaned on Happy, who wrapped an arm around his waist. After a few steps, Toby stopped and turned back.

"Why don't you come stay with me and Happy tonight, Ralph?"

Paige and Happy both looked at Toby in surprise. Paige relaxed when Toby winked.

"Yeah, kid," Happy said. "I kinda want to get back to work on my dollhouse and with that bum wing, Toby's no help. I can teach you some things about plumbing and electricity. It might not seem as cool as computers and math, but it can be real useful."

"Plus I can use a buffer from the tender mercies of Nurse Ratchet here," Toby quipped.

Ralph turned eagerly towards his mother, gathering up his backpack and laptop as he did so. "Mom, can I?"

Paige was on the verge of saying no. It wasn't a school night, but just the same, she liked to maintain a normal schedule for her son, even during school holidays. Then she felt Walter come up behind her. In the last couple of weeks he had become more comfortable at showing affection when they could steal a moment of privacy, but he almost never touched her in the presence of others. When she felt his arm at her waist, she got the message.

"All right. You can go," she agreed. "But be careful, especially when you're working on that house. Do exactly as Happy tells you, okay?"

Ralph nodded and ran towards the door, then ran back and quickly hugged her. She bent over and kissed the top of his head. Then he turned and threw his arms around Walter. Surprised, Walter removed his arm from her waist and returned the hug. Paige couldn't help the smile that broke across her face. She was glad that the change in her relationship with Walter hadn't affected his special bond with Ralph. If anything, they were closer than ever.

Ralph ran back to join Happy and Toby, who had made their way to the door.

Paige felt Walter's arms coming around her from behind just as she overheard her son ask, "So does this mean my mom and Walter are going to be having sex tonight?"

* * *

May 29, 2017


End file.
